Pilot Killed In Van Nuys Plane Crash Identified

VAN NUYS, CA — A 62-year-old pilot from Pacific Palisades was identified Sunday as one of two people killed when his single-engine plane crashed just west of Van Nuys Airport Friday. The crash also killed a woman who was his passenger.

The pilot was identified as Jim De Varennes, according to the Los Angeles County coroner's office. The name of his passenger will be released pending notification of next of kin, according to the coroner's office.

The crash occurred at 3:04 p.m. Friday in a parking lot in the 6900 block of North Hayvenhurst Avenue, according to Nicholas Prange of the Los Angeles Fire Department. The plane had made a steep climb away from the airport and stalled in the air before making a sharp nose-dive into the ground, according to a witness. De Varennes and his passenger died at the scene.

Preliminary information indicated that the single-engine Navion B plane had taken off from Van Nuys Airport and was heading for Santa Ynez Airport in Santa Barbara County, according to the Federal Aviation Administration's Ian Gregor, who says the plane caught fire after crashing.

The LAFD responded to the scene and put out flames from the crash. No injuries or building damage were reported on the ground, but multiple reports said three vehicles suffered damage.

"The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate," Gregor said. "The NTSB will be in charge of the investigation and will determine the probable cause of the accident."

City News Service and Patch Staffer Paige Austin contributed to this report.