SAFAI, Ali
SAFAI, Ali (c. 1950-2024), pilot killed in Beechcraft 95 [N73WA] on October 9, 2024, along with 4 others: Haris Ali, 33, of Fullerton; Margaret Mary Fenner, 55; Gonzalo Lubel; and Joeun Park, 37. The two men had flown to Catalina's Airport in the Sky after closing (5:00 p.m.), to pick up three passengers whose plane had experienced mechanical issues. The runway has no lights and no controller.
The plane crashed shortly after takeoff about a mile west of the runway. A 911 crash detection alert was sent by a cell phone of one of the passengers.
Santa Monica Aviation was once owned by Ali Safai, a seasoned flight instructor.
County of Los Angeles Medical Examiner Case #:
- Gonzalo Lubel: https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2024-15937
- Haris Ali: https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2024-15938
- Ali Safai: https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2024-15939
- Joeun Park: https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2024-15940
- Margaret Fenner: https://me.lacounty.gov/case-detail/?caseNumber=2024-15941
In the News~
October 10, 2023 [cbsnews.com]: “Three of five people killed in a small plane crash on Catalina Island were identified by the Los Angeles County Medical Examiner Thursday. A twin-engine Beechcraft 95 airplane crashed on the island just off the coast of LA County around 8 p.m. Tuesday, leaving every person on board dead, authorities said. A preliminary report from the Federal Aviation Administration shows there were four passengers and one flight member aboard the aircraft. Ali Reza Safai, a 73-year-old West Hills man; Haris Ali, a 33-year-old Fullerton man; and Margaret Mary Fenner, a 55-year-old woman, were identified by coroner's officials as three of the victims. The names of the other two people killed — identified by coroner's officials as two men both in their 30s — have not been released as their next of kin have not yet been notified. According to the FAA, the plane crashed shortly after it departed from Catalina Airport in Avalon. The agency's preliminary report indicates the accident happened during takeoff. Ali Safai is listed as the registered owner of the plane in FAA records. Records show the plane had departed from Santa Monica Airport earlier in the day, around 5:45 p.m., before heading to Catalina. The Avalon Sheriff's Station learned of the crash when it received a 911 SOS notification from a person's cell phone, which indicated the phone user had been involved in a collision with people possibly injured. It provided GPS coordinates for the location. About one mile west of Catalina Airport, authorities discovered the wreckage and the five people killed. According to the National Weather Service, there were no dense fog advisories at the time. The cause and other circumstances surrounding the crash remain under investigation by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.”
