Remains Of Four People Have Been Recovered From The Wreckage

The Los Angeles County coroner’s office continues to work to identify the remains of the four people who were apparently on board a Cessna Citation jet that appeared to blow a tire on landing and ran into a hangar at Santa Monica Airport in California Sunday. There were no survivors from the accident.

Among those believed to be on board were Mark Benjamin, CEO of Morley Builders, and his son Luke, who also worked for the company. None of the remains has been positively identified. The remains of two cats and a dog were also recovered from the site, according to the Associated Press.

But the investigation has been slowed by the shutdown of the federal government. Investigators were able to gather evidence from the accident scene and transport it to an offsite location before leaving Santa Monica Tuesday morning as the shutdown took effect. There is no indication when the investigation might continue.

Benjamin was described by a friend and fellow pilot as not being a "casual pilot." John French of Ketchum, ID said that Benjamin "flew a lot."

The NTSB said there was no indication from the pilot of the airplane that there was any trouble with the aircraft until the tire apparently ruptured and the plane skidded off the runway.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov