The pilot of a small plane that crashed on Santa Catalina Island, killing five, has been warned not to take off from treacherous conditions after dark. Now, a new report sheds light on why he waited until after sunset to leave.
The twin-engine Beechcraft 95-B44 crashed about a mile from Catalina Airport just after 8 p.m. on Oct. 8.
An initial report by the National Transportation Safety Board revealed that the plane did not have enough power and needed to be charged shortly before takeoff. It also says that the plane did not have permission to take off and the airport manager clearly told the pilot that he should not take off after dark. However, it does not indicate the exact cause of the crash.
Night operations are prohibited at the small, single-runway airport due to unsafe conditions — there is no air traffic control, no night attendants and no runway lights. Located on top of a 1,602-foot-tall mountain, the airport has a reputation for being a scary place to fly.
The Beechcraft plane was owned by Ali Safai, 73, of West Hills, according to Federal Aviation Authority Records. Safai was the founder of the flight school that operated at Santa Monica Airport until it was closed in 2018.
He died in an accident alongside Haris Ali, 33; Margaret Mary Fenner, 55; Joeun Park, 37 years old; and Gonzalo Lubel, 34, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office.
A Beechcraft was dispatched to Catalina to pick up a flight instructor and two student pilots who were stranded on the island on the afternoon of Oct. 8 after experiencing mechanical failure before taking off on a chartered plane, according to the report.
The stranded group contacted the flight school they rented the plane from and were told that another plane would take them back to Santa Monica Airport. The responding plane was used by a flight school and belonged to a friend of the school's owner, according to the report.
Before arriving in Catalina at 6:20 p.m., the driver of the Beechcraft was told he would have to leave the island before sunset at 6:31 p.m., according to the report.
But when the pilot tried to prepare for takeoff, the right engine did not start due to insufficient battery power, according to the report.
The airport manager then told the pilot that the charging time would push them into the sunset and their departure would not be approved.
Despite the dangers of flying after dark, the pilot insisted on leaving, according to the report.
“The airport manager advised him that, although he could not stop him, his departure would not be authorized and he would put himself at risk,” the report said.
Footage from the airport shows the plane leaving the runway at night, according to the report. Tracking data shows that the plane climbed to 75 meters above the runway, veered to the right and suddenly nosedived, seconds after takeoff at 8:08 pm.
The plane hit a road about 0.96 miles from the end of the runway and heavy debris landed in a river about 450 feet west of the original collision, according to the report. Avalon crews and LA County fire and sheriff's departments joined the search and found the plane.
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