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2 Men Killed Descanso Plane Crash Identified


Two men found dead in the wreckage of a small plane discovered Wednesday night a rugged part of Descanso were identified Saturday.

David Alan Derby, 77, of Santee and Ryan Michael Willis, 36, of San Diego were discovered overnight Wednesday and Thursday morning, the San Diego Medical Examiner’s Office said.

A search and rescue team made their way to the downed plane, near Tule Springs and Conejos Valley Road east of the El Capitan Reservoir, at daylight Thursday, the San Diego Sheriff’s Department said. 

Derby was a commercial pilot for 15 years, according to the Federal Aviation Administration’s pilot database.

The plane the two were in, a 1682G Champion 7KCAB certified aircraft, was registered to Derby’s company, Three Point Partners Inc.

The plane left from Gillespie Field in El Cajon on Wednesday but did not return that evening as expected.

Hours after the plane failed to return, a plane making a steep descent was spotted via radar by the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services.

The office then alerted the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department. 

Here is a link to the Go Fund Me page


Source: NBC San Diego

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