Victim Of Fatal Montgomery Field Airplane Crash ID'd

SAN DIEGO, CA — Authorities Thursday publicly identified one of two people who died in a fiery Labor Day plane crash at Montgomery-Gibbs Executive Airport.

Roger Shimizu, 45, was aboard a Cessna 172 that went down at the Serra Mesa general-aviation airport shortly before 5:30 p.m. Monday, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner's Office.

Shimizu, whose community of residence was not released, died at the scene of the accident along with the other occupant of the aircraft. That person's identity has not been publicly confirmed.

The four-seat plane appeared to stall during a landing approach, its left wing dipping down before the aircraft spun to the ground and burst into flames, according to a preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration.

The crash may have occurred immediately following an aborted landing attempt, a maneuver possibly undertaken as part of a training exercise for a student pilot, officials told news crews.

The aircraft was registered to an Idaho resident, a flight instructor and founder of a San Diego flight school, according to FAA records and news reports.

— City News Service