Pilot In Yorba Linda Crash Had Fake Police Credentials: Sheriff

YORBA LINDA, CA —The 75-year-old pilot who died when his Cessna airplane broke apart and crashed into a Yorba Linda home, killing four inside, was not a retired Chicago police officer as Orange County Sheriff's Department previously said.

He was positively identified Monday as Antonio Pastini of Gardnerville, Nevada, a restaurant owner in Carson City, Nevada.

Chicago Police Department officials say they have no record of Pastini ever working for the force there, though Orange County sheriff's deputies found Chicago Police Department badge and retirement papers on him, police said.

OCSD deputies discovered that the documents, though official looking, were not legitimate, OCSD spokeswoman Carrie Braun told Patch. Authorities are investigating why Pastini was carrying them.

Pastini's daughter, Julie Ackley, told reporters that she called him to say when he got home safely, "but the only call I got was from the sheriff's department," she said. "He's been flying for over 50 years, and this was a horrible tragedy and a freak accident." Ackley has also told NBC4 that her father was born under a different name, Jordan Isaacson, and also has a twin brother.

Pastini's plane nose-dived onto the 19000 block of Crestknoll Drive at about 1:45 p.m. Sunday, Orange County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said. The 1981 twin-engine Cessna 414A took off from Fullerton Municipal Airport about 10 minutes before the crash, according to National Transportation Safety Board Investigator Eliott Simpson.

Radar data indicate the plane made a left turn and climbed 7,800 feet before crashing into the house, leaving the cabin in a ravine behind the house and debris scattered over four blocks, Simpson said.

No information is available regarding why the plane crashed, Orange County Fire Authority Capt. Cameron Rossman said.

Pastini was flying solo at the time of the crash.

Two males and two females were killed inside the house, Orange County Sheriff's Lt. Cory Martino said, but their names were withheld pending notification of next of kin.

Two additional victims were hospitalized with burn injuries. Their conditions were unknown as of this report. Also, one firefighter suffered an ankle injury, Rossman said.

In video footage shot by witnesses and given to media outlets, the two-story Yorba Linda home was shown engulfed in flames and a piece of the plane's wreckage is burning in the street.

NTSB investigator Maja Smith told reporters that many witnesses saw the plane's wings fall off before it crashed.

A total of 72 firefighters from the OCFA, Anaheim, and Orange were dispatched to the scene, he said.

NTSB investigators expected to spend Monday gathering evidence and picking up the pieces of the aircraft before it is taken to a storage facility in Phoenix, Simpson said.

A preliminary crash report will be available in 10-14 days, he said.

An employee at one of Pastini's restaurant, Kim Lee's Japanese Restaurant and Sushi Bar, declined to comment, citing the wishes of Pastini's family.

Pastini, an active Facebook user, left a farewell on his Facebook account on Jan. 31, proclaiming he was deleting his account.

On Jan. 27, he discussed his volunteer work with Angel Flight, which provides airplane rides for the needy to get to doctor appointments.

"Now I want to help more of those who need help, so I have an idea," he wrote. "You want to go flying? Want an easy trip somewhere? Coordinate with me so we can take a child for treatment or bring medicine or blood somewhere where it will save a life. Pay for the fuel and together I will take you where you want to go, and we can help way more people. If you just save one person isn't it worth it, and this way we can save many."

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City News Service, with contributions by Patch Editor Ashley Ludwig

OCFA photo