High Winds Blamed for Plane Crash That Killed Two
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GORMAN, Calif. — Two men killed in the crash of a single-engine plane in the Angeles National Forest were apparently caught in strong winds and unable to climb above a series of mountain peaks, officials said Saturday.
The victims, identified as pilot Gene Baquette, 47, of Anaheim, and passenger Claude Caperton, 56, of Placentia, were recovered from the wreckage shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday.
Rescuers with the Kern County Sheriff’s Department and the Civil Air Patrol found the downed Cessna 182 about 11 miles northeast of the Tejon Pass near California 138, east of Gorman, Deputy Bob Yoon said.
Baquette and Caperton were en route to Chino after taking off from Bakersfield Friday when their plane disappeared from air traffic control radar screens about 3:20 p.m., a Federal Aviation Administration spokesman said.
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