Pilot’s horrendous mistakes that caused Catalina Island crash which killed five

New details about the deadly plane crash on Catalina Island near Los Angeles revealed that the pilot ignored warnings not to take off in the dark.

The twin-engine Beechcraft 95 took off from Catalina Airport with five passengers and crashed about a mile away on October 8 around 8:00 PM PT, killing everyone on board.

The victims were identified as Ali Reza Safai, 73, Haris Ali, 33, Margaret Mary Fenner, 55, Joeun Park, 37, and famed artist manager Gonzalo Lubel, 34.

A preliminary investigation report from the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane did not take off earlier in the day because the right engine needed to be recharged.

“The pilots were informed by the airport manager that since the time required to charge the battery would last until after sunset, a departure after sunset would not be approved,” the report said.

‘The pilot/owner of the plane informed the airport manager that he had to go and still planned to leave.

“The airport manager told him that although he could not stop him, his departure would not be approved and would be at his own risk.”

Airport security video captured the plane taking off and showed dark nighttime conditions at the time.

According to the NTSB, Catalina Airport is a non-towered airport, located on a flat plateau with sloping terrain at both ends of the runway.

The small airport is open from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and has one concrete runway that is not equipped with runway lighting. Nocturnal activities are not allowed.

The Beechcraft aircraft was owned by Safai and flew to Catalina to pick up a flight instructor and two student pilots after experiencing a mechanical failure in a rented aircraft during the flight.

The plane landed at 6:20 p.m. and the crew was warned to depart before sunset at 6:31 p.m.

According to an NTSB preliminary investigation report, the pilot ignored warnings not to take off in the dark. Pictured: Catalina Airport runway

Famed artist manager Gonzalo Lubel, 34, was identified as one of the victims of the tragic crash

‘The pilots shut down both engines, loaded the stranded pilots and attempted to restart the engines. During the restart, the right engine would not start due to insufficient battery power,” the report said.

Then everyone got off the plane and an extension cord was connected to the onboard battery charger.

After finally taking off, the plane climbed approximately 75 degrees above the runway, followed by a right turn before hitting a ridge about a mile from the end of the runway.

The wreckage was found in a ravine about 450 feet west of the original impact point.