7 Dead in Crash of Twin-Engine Plane 10 Miles From Big Bear

SAN DIEGO —  Seven people, including two children, were killed when a chartered plane carrying Mexican tourists to a weekend ski trip crashed in the San Bernardino Mountains.

San Bernardino County sheriff’s officials said five passengers, all of whom were said to be residents of Tijuana, and the aircraft’s two pilots died in the crash, which reportedly occurred about 5 p.m. Sunday. The wreckage was found Monday morning.

The twin-engine Piper Cheyenne went down at the 7,000-foot level, near Angelus Oaks, about 10 miles from the plane’s destination, Big Bear Airport.

Authorities Monday were attempting to determine the cause of the crash. Although it snowed in the San Bernardino Mountains in recent days, it was too early to determine if weather was a factor, authorities said.

The plane, which was piloted by James Enloe, had flown out of Brown Field in San Diego, just north of the U.S.-Mexico border. Harry Hendricks, a pilot and friend of Enloe, said authorities told the family the wreckage was found about 11 a.m. Monday.

The plane was owned by Andrew & Williamson Sales Co., a produce company in San Ysidro, according to employee Alma Chavez. She said Enloe, 58, was also employed by Andrew & Williamson.

The co-pilot was said to be from Encinitas. His identity could not be confirmed, but Chavez said he was not employed by Andrew & Williamson.

The identities of the passengers had also not been confirmed as of Monday afternoon, authorities said.

According to Hendricks, Enloe was chief pilot and maintenance officer for Andrew & Williamson. A veteran pilot with more than 35 years of experience, Enloe was married and had two sons, 16 and 11 years old, Hendricks said.

On Monday afternoon, officials from the San Bernardino County coroner’s office said the bodies had not been removed from the crash site, pending further investigation by authorities. Hendricks said the terrain at the site and low clouds had hampered the search for the plane. Searchers found the plane’s tail section sticking out of the snow.

Hendricks said Enloe had gone to Brown Field on Sunday to do some maintenance on the Piper Cheyenne. It was by chance that he ended up flying the five passengers to Big Bear, Hendricks said.

“From what we know, they (the skiers) were all from Tijuana,” he said. “They were on another friend’s plane, and when they went to take off, the plane lost power. (Enloe) was apparently doing them a favor by agreeing to fly them to Big Bear. He was just going to drop them off (at Big Bear) and come back.”