Brush fire burning on Catalina Island after plane crash (Courtesy: Curt Shelley / July 1, 2010) |
AVALON, Calif. -- A light plane crashed on Catalina Island Thursday afternoon, killing the pilot and igniting a brush fire that burned dangerously close to several island youth camps.
The plane crashed shortly after 1 p.m. about two miles from the airport in a remote, hilly area near Echo Lake, according to L.A. County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Donahue.
Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Donahue says the pilot radioed the airfield to report he was having chest pains that could indicate a heart attack and didn't think he could make the runway.
Fire Inspector Matt Levesque says the sole occupant of the aircraft was dead when authorities reached the scene.
A 15-acre brushfire ignited by the crash has been 50 percent contained, with no flames showing.
The plane crashed shortly after 1 p.m. about two miles from the airport in a remote, hilly area near Echo Lake, according to L.A. County Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Donahue.
Sheriff's Lt. Jeff Donahue says the pilot radioed the airfield to report he was having chest pains that could indicate a heart attack and didn't think he could make the runway.
Fire Inspector Matt Levesque says the sole occupant of the aircraft was dead when authorities reached the scene.
A 15-acre brushfire ignited by the crash has been 50 percent contained, with no flames showing.
