Body Found May Have Been Passenger In BE-36

Recovery crews sifting through a 14-unit apartment building where a Beech BE-36 crashed in Los Angeles have found a fifth body in the rubble. Coroner's Lt. Cheryl MacWillie said, like three of the other victims, the body found Saturday was believed to be that of a passenger aboard the six-place aircraft. One other victim whose body was found after Friday's crash was thought to have lived on one of the building's upper floors.

Pilot Identified

While authorities still haven't released the names of those killed in the crash, the Los Angeles Times reports the pilot of the Beechcraft was Jeffrey T. Siegel, owner of a construction company in Santa Monica. Family members said Siegel and his niece, Jessica Kaplan, 24, were headed for their vacation home in Sun Valley (ID). Siegel's widow, Judy Gantz Siegel called her husband a "very skilled pilot" who had flown since he was a teen. She said he recently acquired the BE-36. "He had the ability to land the plane if it malfunctioned," Mrs. Siegel said. "I can't believe it. I want to hear an explanation of what happened. He is such a good pilot." Siegel's body was found deep underneath the apartment complex on top of a car, next to the burning wreckage of his aircraft.

The aircraft left a crater in the center of the apartment building when it crashed about seven minutes after take-off from Santa Monica Airport (CA). Siegel had reportedly conversed with the control tower there, been advised to switch frequencies to talk to TRACON, but never made the transition. Witnesses say the aircraft's engine made unusual noises just before it plunged into the Hollywood-area apartment building. Seven other people were hurt. One remains hospitalized.

**   Report created 6/9/2003   Record 11  **
IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 1856P        Make/Model: BE36      Description: 36 Bonanza
  Date: 06/06/2003     Time: 2255
  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed
LOCATION
  City: SANTA MONICA   State: CA   Country: US
DESCRIPTION
  ACFT ON DEPARTURE, CRASHED INTO AN APARTMENT BUILDING AND WAS DESTROYED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, FOUR PERSONS ON BOARD WERE FATALLY INJURIED AND UNKNOWN PERSONS IN THE BUILDING WERE FATALLY INJURIED, OTHER INJURIES TO THOSE ON THE GROUND ARE UNKNOWN, OCCURRED 6 MILES NE OF SANTA MONICA, CA
INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   4
                 # Crew:  2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   2     Fat:   2     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   Y
WEATHER: SMO 1551PDT 26010KT 10SM OVC031
OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Take-off      Operation: General Aviation
  Departed: SANTA MONICA, CA            Dep Date:    Dep. Time:
  Destination: SUN VALLEY, ID           Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: 6 MI NE OF SMO ARPT
  Last Clearance: CLRD FOR TAKEOFF
  FAA FSDO: LOS ANGELES, CA  (WP23)               Entry date: 06/09/2003

FMI: www.faa.gov/avr/aai/iirform.htm