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Young Hockey Career Cut Short In Plane Crash

CAMARILLO (CBSLA.com) — More information is coming out about the father and son killed Sunday afternoon in a small-plane crash in Camarillo.

James Harlan, 57, and Dylan Harlan, 15, both of Calabasas, were aboard the plane that crashed in the Santa Rosa Valley, authorities said.

Dylan, a student at Calabasas High School, was a talented hockey player with a promising career. He had just made the AAA California Titans hockey team that plays out of Simi Valley. Nationally, Dylan was on an elite level recruiting site. His friends described Dylan as a passionate surfer in addition to his hockey skills.

"His children. They were his life. They were his world. He breathed those children," said family friend Lisa Curl of James.

According to witnesses, James Harlan's 13-year-old daughter had been taking horseback-riding lessons and that James and Dylan flew over her and wanted to get her attention.

"We kept watching him and he was making these sharp turns, really low to the ground," said witness Ann Carter, who was flying with her son at the same time that Harlan and his son were in the air. She said he was too close to the treetops.

Ventura County Sheriff's Department confirms that the plane hit a power line.

Most of Dylan's friends didn't find out about his death until Monday morning. In the afternoon, the principal at Calabasas High School issued an email to all parents telling them of the loss, saying Dylan was a very fine student. He also played in a band. She also said that there would be grief counselors on campus for the rest of the week if needed.

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