Former Laguna Niguel Mayor Identified In Fatal Kansas Plane Crash

OLATHE, KS — A former Laguna Niguel city councilman and mayor was identified as the pilot of a small airplane who died in a crash at a suburban airport outside of Kansas City, Kansas, Sunday morning, authorities said.

Robert Douglas Ming, 51, was piloting a 2012 Piper Malibu Meridian, a fixed-wing single-engine aircraft, when it crashed shortly after taking off from the Johnson County Executive Airport in Olathe, Kansas, the Kansas Highway Patrol said. Ming was the plane's only occupant.

"For an unknown reason, the aircraft crashed into a field at the end of the runaway," police said. "The aircraft then became fully engulfed in flames after crash landing."

Ming was elected to the Laguna Niguel City Council in 2006 and re-elected to the position in 2010, his website said. He served as the city's mayor in 2009 and 2013.

He was the founder and a managing partner at the Irvine-based Quadrant Law Group.

Laguna Niguel Mayor Elaine Gennawey called Ming's death heartbreaking and said he was a community icon and respected civic leader.

"When future generations look back at our rich history, Robert will be remembered as one of the most consequential figures to have ever shaped the city of Laguna Niguel," she said in a statement. "He was not only a public servant but an exemplary leader, a remarkable philanthropist and a kind and humble soul."

On his website, Ming referred to himself as an "instrument-rated pilot," meaning he had to have piloted at least 50 hours of cross-country flying, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.

The plane was on its way to Albuquerque, New Mexico, at the time of the crash, according to the plane tracking website FlightAware.

Federal Aviation Administration records showed the plane was registered in March 2021 to Quadrant Investments, a company incorporated in Delaware.

The National Transportation Safety Board was investigating the crash.

Ming is survived by his wife, Susie Ming, and their four children.