Joeun Park, Gonzalo Lubel Obituary, Death – Authorities have confirmed the identity of the last victim among the five people who tragically lost their lives in a small plane crash on Santa Catalina Island. The Los Angeles County Department of Medical Examiner identified Joeun Park, 37, on Tuesday. Earlier, Gonzalo Lubel, 34, was recognized as one of the deceased victims on Friday. The three other victims identified by coroner’s officials include Haris Ali, 33, from Fullerton; Margaret Mary Fenner, 55; and Ali Reza Safai, a 73-year-old man from West Hills.
Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicate that the plane involved in the crash was registered to Safai, who had previously served as a flight instructor at the now-defunct Santa Monica Aviation, which operated out of Santa Monica Airport. The twin-engine Beechcraft 95-B55 aircraft crashed shortly after taking off from Catalina Airport in Avalon around 8 p.m. on October 8, as reported by FAA spokesman Rick Breitenfeldt.
The plane went down approximately one mile west of the Catalina Airport. Breitenfeldt confirmed that five individuals were on board at the time of the crash. Investigative responsibilities have been assigned to the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), with the NTSB leading the inquiry and promising further updates as the investigation unfolds.
The Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department’s Avalon station received an emergency SOS notification from a cell phone, indicating that the user might have been involved in an accident that could result in injuries. In response, deputies from the Avalon Station, along with members of the Los Angeles County Fire Department, Avalon Search and Rescue, and Avalon City Fire Department, were dispatched to the reported location.
Under a unified command, rescue teams located the wreckage of the twin-engine aircraft roughly one mile west of the Catalina Island Airport. Sadly, upon reaching the crash site, responders found five adults, all of whom were pronounced dead at the scene.
Flight records from FlightAware show that the Beechcraft airplane had taken off from Santa Monica Airport shortly before 6 p.m. on Tuesday, arriving at Catalina Airport around 20 minutes later. Catalina Airport operates from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., with aircraft operations typically prohibited outside of these hours or when the airport is unattended.
An official from the airport informed the Southern California News Group that the pilot had made arrangements to land at the airfield after operating hours on Tuesday but did not secure approval for a late-night takeoff. This oversight raises questions about the circumstances surrounding the crash, adding to the complexity of the investigation.
As authorities work to piece together the events leading up to this tragic incident, the families and friends of the victims mourn their sudden loss. The community is left in shock as they remember the lives cut short by this unfortunate accident, with many awaiting answers regarding what went wrong during the flight.