Body parts fall from sky as planes collide
Pastor Dale Morgan
Body parts fall from sky as planes collide*
'A lot of stuff everywhere. I was shocked, I couldn't believe what happened'
Jan 21 04:48 PM US/Eastern
By GREG RISLING
Associated Press Writer
CORONA, Calif. (AP) - Authorities were trying Monday to learn why two
small planes collided over a row of businesses, dropping a macabre
shower of debris and body parts and killing someone inside an auto
dealership when one of the aircraft punctured the roof.
All four people aboard the two aircraft also were killed in Sunday's
crash, on a clear crisp afternoon that seemed ideal for flying.
No one else was hurt, though wreckage fell on three car dealerships, all
of which remained closed to customers as investigators combed through
the debris in Corona, about 45 miles southeast of Los Angeles.
People in the area after the collision along the 91 Freeway described a
horrific sight. Marisela Garay was working a few hundred yards away at
Lucky Greek Burgers when she saw the planes come down.
She and some customers ran outside, where they saw blood and what looked
like body parts on the ground.
"There was a lot of stuff everywhere. I was shocked, I couldn't believe
what happened," said Garay, 17.
"There were bodies falling out of the sky," witness Hector Hernandez
told KCBS-TV. "One of them crashed into the top of a Ford Mustang, and
another one fell not too far behind that one on the parking lot."
In one of the car lots, the twisted hull of a plane rested against two
vehicles.
Witnesses told authorities that one of the planes slammed into the
other. One of the aircraft shattered on impact, while the other spiraled
to the ground, left mostly intact.
Authorities haven't released the planes' origins or destinations. The
crash occurred about a mile south of the Corona Municipal Airport, which
doesn't have a manned control tower.
The crash is the sixth in the area over the past 10 years.
Without the aid of air traffic controllers, pilots are supposed to use
visual flight rules when there are clear conditions. Pilots are
responsible for their own safety, making sure they steer clear from
aircraft and other potential hazards.
Pilots can communicate by radio with one another, but not all do,
Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Investigators will likely try to determine if there were any other
pilots in the area who saw the crash or heard any transmission between
the two planes, he said.
Two people were killed from each plane, National Transportation Safety
Board spokesman Wayne Pollack said.
Investigators said Sunday night they would have to open up the fuselage
of the planes to ensure that there were no additional victims. NTSB
investigators declined to comment on that effort Monday until news
conference set for late afternoon.
One of the planes was a Cessna 172 registered to William A. Reinke of La
Habra, according to aircraft databases. Reached at his home Sunday
night, Reinke declined to say who was flying his plane or who might have
been on board.
The second plane, a Cessna 150, is registered to Air Corona Inc., based
in Dover, Del. Many plane owners register their aircraft in Delaware
even if they are not based there because of the state's low taxes.