Sun is a suspect in plane crash
Federal investigators are trying to determine how the pilots of two small planes failed to see each other before colliding over Corona on a clear Sunday afternoon, leaving five dead and showering wreckage over a busy auto mall.
Veteran pilots said the skies above Corona and the Inland Empire are typically congested on weekends, often with student pilots and instructors, and the local airport has no air traffic control tower -- meaning those in the sky must be vigilant and look out for other airplanes.
Patrick Crask, 41, who routinely flies out of Corona, said he had planned a flight Sunday but decided against it because the sun was so bright he worried about visibility on takeoff.
"The sun can often be almost unbearable," the Corona resident said. "If you were to come here at around 4 p.m., the sun is blinding for a good two minutes. You need to take extra precautions."
Inspectors with the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating whether the afternoon sun played a role in the 3:35 p.m. collision.
Both of the planes -- a Cessna 172 and a Cessna 150 -- appeared to have sustained damage to their midsections, and the wings of one plane ripped off, ejecting both pilot and passenger. Authorities said two people aboard each plane died in the crash and a fifth person, a man sitting in an office at a Chevrolet dealership, was killed when debris slammed through the building's roof.
The two Cessnas collided about a mile from the small Corona Municipal Airport, just north of the Riverside Freeway, said Wayne Pollack, an NTSB investigator.
Debris scattered as far as 1,000 yards from the main crash site, and the fuselage of one plane landed on a parked car. Corona police said one bystander sprained his wrist while fleeing a building that was hit by wreckage.
Both pilots in Sunday's crash were licensed and had experience navigating the skies around Corona, according to the owner of one of the planes.
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