Plane wasn't authorized to take off after sunset, according to the Catalina airport manager.
On Tuesday night, the pilot of a small plane sat on the runway of Catalina Island’s “airport in the sky” with four passengers on board and a decision to make. Take off into the looming darkness, relying primarily on the plane's instruments, or play it safe and wait until the morning? The pilot shoved the throttles forward and went for it.
There are still a lot of data and debris for the authorities to sort through before an answer is found, but True ranked disorientation as “a highly probable cause.” Along with Safai, the other passengers were Haris Ali, 33, of Fullerton; Margaret Mary Fenner, 55; and Gonzalo Lubel, 34. The name of another man, in his 30s, has not been released pending notification of his family, according to the Los Angeles County coroner’s office.
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