1 Killed In Aircraft Crash On Catalina Island

CATALINA ISLAND, CA — One person was found dead Tuesday morning in an aircraft crash on Catalina Island, and rescue crews continued to scour the hilly terrain.

The crash site was discovered by search and rescue crews looking for a missing helicopter on the island's west end Tuesday morning. The body was presumed to be the aircraft's pilot. Authorities did not immediately confirm if the wreckage was believed to be that of the missing helicopter.

Allen Kenitzer, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration said his agency received an unconfirmed report of "a missing Robinson R44 helicopter that was traveling from Torrance to Avalon." The aircraft had been reported missing late Monday night.

Rescue crews found the crash site shortly before 10 a.m., according to Los Angeles County fire Inspector Sky Cornell. Although crews had been searching for a helicopter, Cornell described the wreckage as that of a one- or two-seater personal aircraft.

After a search by personnel including members of the U.S. Coast Guard and the Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department, the wreckage of the small aircraft was discovered, along with the body of the pilot, who was the lone occupant, Cornell said.

Information was not immediately available on the identity or gender of the pilot.

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.