Third Victim, Second Plane Recovered Near San Pedro Following Mid-Air Collision
SAN PEDRO (CBSLA.com) — Officials said the third and final victim and a second small plane were both recovered Wednesday in the ocean off San Pedro.
The third victim to be recovered was Mary Falstrom, a 72-year-old pilot.
KCAL9's Greg Mills spoke to Halstrom's husband, Rich, on Saturday. He told Mills his wife was excited to fly Friday because the skies were so clear and the day so beautiful.
Two mall planes collided in mid-air about 3:15 p.m. Friday killing both pilots and a passenger.
Halstrom's Citabria was found Tuesday night, about a mile away from where the other aircraft was located about 2 p.m. Sunday, according to the sheriff's Special Enforcement Bureau.
Around 10 a.m. Wednesday, a dive team from the Special Enforcement Bureau recovered the aircraft and the pilot's body, the sheriff's department reported.
A Beech 35 Bonanza with the bodies of a pilot and his passenger inside was found about two miles outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach . The pilot has been identified as Martin Clement, 61, a church deacon at St. Lawrence Martyr Catholic Church. Clement also did work as a financial planner, friends said.
His 81-year-old passenger has not been publicly identified.
Both aircraft were operated out of the Torrance Municipal Airport.
The recovery efforts were led by the Sheriff's Emergency Services Detail, which is part of the Special Enforcement Bureau, after being initiated by the Coast Guard.
The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are both investigating the cause of the crash.
