Plane crash
victim identified
Authorities have identified the 50-year-old pilot of a single-engine aircraft that went down in the Angeles National Forest just north of La Cañada Flintridge.
John Rice of Las Vegas died when the 1977 Rockwell International Commander he was flying crashed at about 3 p.m. Thursday, a spokeswoman with the Los Angeles County Coroner's office said.
The four-seater plane went down in a heavily wooded area near the Arroyo Trail about 3 miles north of La Cañada Flintridge.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board believe Rice had taken off alone from the Santa Monica Airport Thursday en route to Las Vegas before the accident occurred. An investigation into the crash's cause is not yet complete, NTSB spokesman Paul Schlamm said.
"These investigations usually take several months," Schlamm said. "Investigators usually wait until the end before they talk about a cause, but we will be releasing factual information about the crash periodically."
Weather did not appear to be a factor in the crash, said Lt. Robert Lopez of the Crescenta Valley Sheriff's Station.
