AVALON--Pilot error is being blamed for the crash of a small plane on Catalina Island last year that claimed the lives of three people, including a Riverside couple.

In its finding of probable cause issued Tuesday, the National Transportation Safety Board said that pilot Charles Cowan failed to maintain control of the plane and could have aborted the take-off from the Catalina airport when aircraft began to wobble.

The plane veered into a ravine and burst into flames.

Killed were the 74-year-old pilot, his wife and another passenger. Dr. Cowan was a Riverside cardiologist. An autopsy report indicated he may have suffered a ‘cardiac event’ about the time of the accident. But, Dr. Cowan was talking with a surviving passenger in the moments before the crash. (INT)

Story Date: September 2, 2010