A Huntington Beach pilot and his teenage daughter were identified Friday as the pair who died aboard a Vans RV-10 aircraft when the plane crashed into a manufacturing building just short of the runway at the Fullerton Municipal Airport on Thursday.
Pascal Reid and his daughter Kelly, a student at Huntington Beach High School, died in the crash, according to a memorial announcement by the school’s Girls’ Soccer Team posted on Facebook.
“Yesterday our soccer family suffered an unimaginable loss,” the team’s post read. “Kelly was a natural caregiver and always put others first. She will be deeply missed. Her father was at every single game, always so proud of his daughter.”
The plane was owned by Pascal Reid, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
The crash happened as the pilot tried to return to the airfield to make an emergency landing, according to a preliminary report released Friday by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Vans RV-10 is a single-engine kit plane that is homebuilt and can seat up to four people, according to the manufacturer’s website.
Chris Villalobos, an airport operations worker, said the plane’s owner was a regular at the Fullerton airport, frequently took off from there and rented a hangar.
Tim Olson, an aviation enthusiast and an early purchaser of the RV-10 plane kit, said he had exchanged emails with Pascal Reid over the years and knew him as a “diligent, responsible” pilot and aircraft builder. Olson said the RV-10 had become popular as an “easy-to-build” plane from a reputable kit manufacturer. He said he has flown more than 1,500 hours on his own plane, even taking it to the Cayman Islands.
“It’s real sad to hear that it ended this way for him,” Olson said. “I know from talking back and forth that he did travel, camped out with his plane around the country a bunch.”
A private vigil for the father and daughter was held at Friends Christian Church in Huntington Beach on Friday afternoon.
“She was as joyous as one can be,” said Mia Madkis, Kelly Reid’s classmate and friend. “I think what I want to carry on from her is that hard work and passion she had for every little thing she did.”
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The crash also left 19 employees injured – including several burned, at least one severely – and forced the evacuation of more than 100 workers at the Michael Nicholas Designs furniture factory who were in the building when the plane crashed just before 2:10 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 2, authorities said.
Of the injured, 11 were hospitalized.
The building was red-tagged at least until officials get the airplane removed, said Kristy Wells, Fullerton police spokeswoman. Officials planned to re-evaluate the structure afterward.
Employees who were working at the time of the crash said they heard a loud noise and saw heavy smoke coming from the roof. Some thought an electrical fire may have sparked.
Video from a business shows the plane appearing to crash into the roof of the building during a left bank, causing a fireball that rose into the sky.
One employee, 43-year-old Jesus Diaz, said some of the workers were burned by the fire, at least one severely.
Daniel Villalvazo, of Eureka, said he was visiting family at an apartment building near the design warehouse and eating outside when they noticed the plane drawing near.
“We thought it was going to hit us,” Villalvazo said. “The plane just lost control and it was moving around, then all of a sudden it went down.”
Using his arms, Villalvazo demonstrated that the plane’s wings were teetering up and down before it went down.
The FAA’s report says the plane crashed under unknown circumstances shortly after taking off from the airport. The pilot radioed to the tower about 90 seconds after liftoff that an emergency landing was required, but never radioed what type of problem the plane was experiencing.
Eliott Simpson of the National Transportation Safety Board said the plane reached an altitude of about 900 feet before the pilot made the call for an emergency landing.
The tower gave the pilot permission to land on either side of the runway, with the pilot stating his intention to land from the east, but the plane fell less than a half mile short of the edge of the runway.
Panicked gasping could be heard, and the pilot said, “Oh my God…” before his audio cut out.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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