5 Killed In Plane Crash On Catalina Island

CATALINA ISLAND, CA — All five people onboard are dead after a small plane crashed Tuesday night on Catalina Island off the Southern California coast near the island's private airport, according to officials.

The plane — a twin-engine Beechcraft 95 with five adults on board — crashed shortly after 8 p.m., just moments after it departed from Catalina Airport near the island town of Avalon, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. All five were found dead at the scene in rugged terrain about a mile west of the airport, the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Office said.

"Five people were on board,"Federal Aviation Administration Public Affairs Specialist Rick Breitenfeldt said. "The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate. The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates."

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department's Avalon Station said it received a 911 SOS emergency notification from a cell phone that stated its user may have been involved in a collision with possible injuries.

"Avalon Station deputies responded to the location along with Los Angeles County Fire Department, Avalon Search and Rescue and Avalon City Fire Department members," according to the sheriff's department. "Under a unified command, they were able to locate the wreckage of a twin-engine aircraft approximately one mile west of Catalina Island Airport.

"While at the crash site, five adults were located and pronounced deceased at the scene."

Crews suspended the recovery operation overnight due to darkness, and resumed efforts after daybreak Wednesday, officials said. According to the sheriff's department, "Due to the rough, steep terrain, the scene is being secured until the arrival of the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department Emergency Services Detail members."

Catalina Airport is primarily used for general aviation aircraft, including single-engine airplanes. It is known as the Airport in the Sky because of its location at an elevation of 1,602 feet. It has a single, 3,000-foot runway.

Catalina Island is about 25 miles off the shoreline south of Los Angeles.

"Deeply saddened to hear of the 5 dead in a plane crash on Catalina Island," Representative Robert Garcia said Wednesday morning. "My office has been in touch with the National Transportation Safety Board which is launching an investigation, and has contacted the FAA, City of Avalon, and LA County, and will continue monitoring this tragedy."

The names of the dead were not immediately available.

The Associated Press and City News Service contributed to this report.