Pilot identified in Yorba Linda plane crash that killed 5 and injured 2

YORBA LINDA, Calif. - The pilot who died when his Cessna airplane broke apart and crashed into a Yorba Linda home Sunday, also killing four people inside the home, was a 75-year-old retired Chicago-area police officer and
restaurant owner in Carson City, Nevada, officials said Monday.

Officials said the plane nose-dived around 1:45 p.m. onto Crestknoll Drive in the city of Yorba Linda and left debris on the streets and ignited a house fire, Orange County Sheriff's Department spokeswoman Carrie Braun said.

During a press conference on Monday, the pilot was identified as retired 75-year-old Chicago Police Officer Antonio Pastini of Gardnerville, Nevada.

Chicago Police Department officials say they have no record of Pastini working for the force there, but Orange County sheriff's deputies found a Chicago Police Department badge and retirement papers on him.

Officials were still working to positively identify the remaining four victims.

Martino said the dead occupants of the home were two males and two females but did not provide other information about them.

The twin-engine Cessna 414A took off from the Fullerton Municipal Airport about 12 miles west of the fire, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said.

Radar data indicate the plane made a left turn and climbed 7,800 feet before crashing into the house, leaving the cabin in a ravine behind the house and debris scattered over four blocks, Simpson said.

The two-story house burst into flames after being hit by the plane's main cabin and one its engines, sending panicked neighbors into the streets.

The second engine dislodged and fell onto the street, creating a large hole in the asphalt, according to Eliott Simpson, an aviation accident investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.

The wounded were taken to a hospital with burns, said Pokey Sanchez, an assistant chief with the Orange County Fire Authority. A firefighter was also treated for a minor injury.

Video posted on Twitter showed panicked residents running to the house as it became engulfed in flames and dark smoke. One man used a garden house to douse a burning wing that landed on the street.

Aerial footage from news helicopters showed plane parts, including side panels and a propeller, scattered on rooftops and driveways near the burned house.

The main body of the plane was found in the backyard of another home not far from the burned house. The fire spread to a SUV that was parked in the driveway.

Rain from a winter storm helped firefighters extinguish the house fire.

The National Transportation and Safety Board will investigate the cause of the crash.

The Associated Press and CNS contributed to this report.