Family of Calabasas Girl Who Died in Crash Sues Estate of Pilot

LOS ANGELES COUNTY -- The family of a 15-year-old Calabasas High School student who was killed in the 2017 crash of a small plane flown by his father in Ventura County have filed a lawsuit against the deceased pilot's estate.

Kirsten Doss, the mother of the late Dylan Harlan, and her daughter, who is herself now 15, filed the lawsuit Wednesday, May 15 in Los Angeles Superior Court against the estate of James Harlan as well as Alan Hermanson and Mark Johnson, identified in the complaint as owners along with the James Harlan estate of the Piper Cherokee that crashed near Moorpark on June 4, 2017.

The pilot, James Harlan, 57, also was killed in the crash. A representative for his estate could not be reached for comment.

The suit alleges all the defendants were negligent in the operation, piloting and control of the aircraft, leading to the death of Dylan Harlan, who had just made the AAA California Titans hockey team that plays out of Simi Valley.

The National Transportation Safety Board released an Aviation Accident Preliminary Report a month after the crash.

Witnesses said they heard the plane's engine start to sputter, according to the report. One witness stated that the engine sounded like an airplane performing aerobatic maneuvers at an air show.

The plane's nose pointed up, then down and the aircraft disappeared behind trees, the report stated.

The plane crashed about 600 feet south of the arena where Harlan's daughter was taking horse-riding lessons, according to the report.

City News Service contributed to this report.