Malibu Midair

Two planes collide in air; 3 dead, one missing

Associated Press

MALIBU -- Two small airplanes collided in midair off a Malibu beach
Sunday, and three people were confirmed dead and a fourth was presumed
killed, officials said.

The two planes collided about 5:30 p. m. roughly 100 yards off El
Matador State Beach, said Bruce Nelson, operations manager for the
Federal Aviation Administration.

"There'll be no survivors. One body was washed up on the shores," Mr.
Nelson said.

One plane was a Thorp T-18, based in Torrance, and the other a
Citabria 7ECA, which was kept in Santa Paula, FAA spokesman Donn
Walker said. Each plane carried two people, he said.

Rescue crews found the bodies of two people inside the Thorp, Mr.
Walker said. One body from the Citabria washed ashore, and
authorities were still searching for the other body, he said.

"It is inconceivable to think there are survivors," Mr. Walker said.