Pilot Killed In Upland Crash Was Palos Verdes Man

PALOS VERDES, CA — A Palos Verdes Estates resident was identified as the pilot of a single-engine plane that crashed into an Upland home on November 7.

Esmail Soltani, 49, was identified by authorities through dental records, San Bernardino County Coroner Investigator Gabriel Morales told the Press-Enterprise.

According to the FAA, the plane was a four-seat, single-engine Cirrus SR22 which took off from Torrance Municipal Airport and was heading to Cable Airport in Upland.

"The pilot was the only person on board," a spokesman for the FAA told Patch.

A witness said the plane's left wing dipped and its engine stalled according to a preliminary report from the National Transportation Safety Board obtained by the Press-Enterprise.

A father and 22-month-old son were in the house when the plane crashed into it around 11 a.m., the Press-Enterprise reported.

Residents of an Upland home fled for their lives after a small plane crashed down on their roof, officials reported Thursday. Smoke could be seen from homes in Claremont, Patch was told.

It typically takes the NTSB a year or more to determine a probable cause for an accident, the FAA spokesman said.

Related: One Killed In Upland Plane Crash