2 men killed in Newhall plane crash identified

The two men killed in an aircraft crash in Newhall on Friday have been identified by officials at the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner-Coroner’s Office.

John Calvert, 77, of Valencia, and Kevin Solis, 36, of Fontana, were pronounced as the only victims in the fatal crash that occurred near the northbound side of Interstate 5 and Weldon Canyon

Road, according to Sarah Ardalani, a spokeswoman for the coroner’s office.

Both Calvert and Solis were pronounced dead on arrival, according to Marvin Lim, spokesman for the Los Angeles County Fire Department.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are overseeing the investigation of the crash, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said on

Monday.

“A single-engine Mooney M20 disappeared from radar while inbound to Van Nuys Airport around 1:50 p.m. Friday,” said Gregor. “Search crews found the aircraft wreckage later in the afternoon.”

The plane had departed from Southwest Oregon Regional Airport in North Bend, Oregon, Gregor said.

The Mooney M20 is described by the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association as a single-engine, four-seat plane with retractable landing gear.

Fire officials first received the call of an aircraft crash at 2:55 p.m. Friday and were able to locate the plane by 5:12 p.m.

The search was originally hampered due to crews facing difficult terrain and poor visibility during the search, according to the incident report on the day of the crash.

“There are reports of downed power lines in the hills and bystanders report hearing the aircraft,” said the incident report.

Gregor said the information remained preliminary and that an NTSB investigation can generally take upwards of a year.