Stern family identified as the family killed in the Arizona plane crash
The names of the Arizona family of three who died in a plane crash north of Santee were released by the Medical Examiner’s Office on Sunday.
William Stern Jr, age 64, his wife Jennifer, age 53 and their daughter Katelyn, were all killed as the Lancair Turbine aircraft saw sighted spinning out of control and crashed on the way back home to Phoenix.
Longtime neighbor and Stern family friend Jason Vanderhoof told ABC he still cannot believe the news.
“They came out last weekend,” Vanderhoof told 10News. “We just saw them two days ago and talked to him about going to Jamaica for a little family vacation… and just so sad to hear.”
Ian Gregor, public affairs manager for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the single-engine Lancair IV-P – which took off from Montgomery Field and was headed to Deer Valley Airport in Phoenix – crashed under unknown circumstances around 10:15 a.m. about 3 miles north of Santee.
A hiker in the uninhabited area witnessed the small plane going down, and said it looked like the plane may have been doing stunts.
William Stern was a partner in a prominent family produce company that has been in business in Arizona since 1917. The firm operates warehouses in Phoenix, Tucson and Flagstaff.
Katelyn Stern updated her Facebook page on Thursday with fresh pictures taken from San Diego.
The incident was being investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The headline is incorrect. The crash occurred in San Diego, CA not in Arizona. This is very misleading.