A tragic plane crash near Catalina Island claimed the lives of five people on board, according to reports from the coroner’s office and aviation officials. The victims have been identified as Ali Reza Safai, a 73-year-old man from West Hills; Haris Ali, a 33-year-old man from Fullerton; Margaret Mary Fenner, a 55-year-old woman; and Gonzalo Lubel, a 34-year-old man.
The identity of the fifth victim, described as a man in his 30s, has not yet been released as officials are still notifying his next of kin. The small aircraft crashed shortly after departing from Catalina Airport in Avalon. According to the FAA’s preliminary report, the accident occurred during takeoff. Records show that Ali Reza Safai was the registered owner of the plane, which had flown earlier in the day from Santa Monica Airport at around 5:45 p.m. before making its final journey to Catalina.
Authorities were alerted to the crash when the Avalon Sheriff’s Station received a 911 SOS notification from a cell phone belonging to one of the passengers. The GPS coordinates provided led rescue teams to the wreckage about one mile west of the airport, where they discovered the bodies of all five passengers.
The cause of the crash is still under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB). Despite there being no dense fog advisories in the area at the time, investigators are looking into other factors that may have contributed to the incident.