Friday, Sept. 2, 1994
From The Valley Press © 1994 Antelope Valley Newspapers, inc.
RON SIDDLE photo
9-2-94 Crash Landing In Agua Dulce - A plane carrying members of a committee working on plans for a high school in the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School District crashed Thursday at the Agua Dulce Airpark. Los Angeles County Sheriffs Deputy Larry Knott inspects what was serious damage to the plane. The passengers suffered only minor injuries.
By ELLIOT SPAGAT Staff Water
Four people looking at ways to build a high school in the Acton-Agua Dulce area escaped serious injury ;Thursday when their charter crashed while landing at the Agua Dulce Airpark..
The twin-engine Cessna was destroyed in the 3 p.m. crash, said Inspector Mario DeFina of the Los Angeles County Fire Department. A wing reportedly touched the ground and the plane cartwheeled, said Terry Butler, a county firedgating specialist.
"It was going pretty fast," Butler said. "Thc plan was demolished. It's quite amazing" that no one was seriously hurt, he added.
The crash started a small grass fire, butt it was extinguished quickly, DeFina said.
The Los Angeles County Sheriffs Department identified the passengers as: Tom Brown, superintendent of the 1,900 pupil district; Lilian Smith, editor of the Country Journal, Jim Duzick of Agua Dulce; and Julie Feuerhelm.
They comprise a committee appointed by the Acton-Agua Dulce Unified School posed high school site near Wallace Canyon and Hierba roads in Agua Dulce, said Duzick, who has led opposition to the proposed high school site.
The pilot was identified as Laszlo Peterfae. He also escaped serious injury. His residence was unknown.
"We bounced around pretty good inside," said Duzick. "When we came to rest. we were concerned about fire. There was a fire on the righthand side, so we all exited the aircraft."
Smith and Feuerhelm suffered burns, Duzick said. The two women were -taken to Henry Mayo Newhall Memorial Hospital in Valencia, where they were treated for minor injuries, according to Sheriff's Deputy Frank Juarez.
The men were not hospitalized. Juarez said. The patients requested that no information about their condition be released, said Ann Coleman, nursing saver -As or a.
The school district is planning to build a new high school, following a 1992 vote by Acton and Agua Dulce residents to secede from the Antelope Valley Union High School District. The local K-8 district was expanded through 12th grade.
The group left Thursday morning to visit a school in Mammoth. Duzick was impressed with what he saw there.-They have been very successful," Duzick said. --They just built themselves a middle school It was a very rewarding trip - prior to larding, of course -
Board member Rebecca said she was scheduled to make the trip but canceled..