PLANE ACCIDENT: Pilot Dead in Lake Perris Crash
December 21, 2010
Perris - At least one person was killed after an airplane accident near Lake Perris yesterday afternoon.
The victim was identified by the Riverside County coroner’s office as Julius Petrikas, 65, also from Riverside.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), Petrikas was the pilot and the only occupant of the twin-engine Aero Commander 680 FL Grand Commander plane that crashed on a Hillside within the Lake Perris State Recreation Area at about 4 o’clock in the afternoon.
Reports indicate that Petrikas took off from Palm Springs at about 9:30am on a planned flight towards Chino Airport.
However, a search was triggered after a relative of Petrikas called the FAA to report that the plane has not arrived on schedule.
The Riverside County Sheriff’s Department “pinged” the pilot’s cell phone to get a trace of where the plane is and found it in the Lake Perris State Recreation Area.
Petrikas was found dead within the plane wreck.
The circumstances surrounding the crash are still under investigation.