1 dead in small plane that crashed on island off Calif. after pilot reported medical problem

1 dead in small plane crash on island off Calif.

AVALON, Calif. — A single-engine plane crashed Thursday on Catalina Island, killing its pilot who had just reported a medical emergency and igniting a brush fire nearby.

Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Lt. Jeff Donahue said the pilot, who has not been identified, was the only person aboard the Cessna 182P when it crashed shortly after 1 p.m on the popular tourist destination more than 20 miles off Southern California.

Fire Inspector Matt Levesque said the wreckage was discovered about two miles from the island’s airfield, Airport in the Sky.

The pilot had radioed the airport to report he was having chest pains that could indicate a heart attack and that he didn’t think he could reach the runway, Donahue said.

Fire officials arrived at the crash site about three hours later after battling a 20-acre brush fire ignited by the crash. The fire was 80 percent contained but would probably burn through the night, authorities said.

Donahue said several youth camps were in the area, but they were not immediately threatened by the fire.

Catalina’s small airport sits at an elevation of about 1,600 feet in the mountainous interior, with a steep drop-off at one end of the runway.