5 killed in Santa Ana plane crash identified as Los Angeles man, Bay Area residents
Four Bay Area residents and a Los Angeles man were identified Monday, Aug. 6 as the five who were killed when a plane crashed into a Santa Ana shopping center parking lot the day before.
The pilot was Scott Shepherd, 53, of Diablo, Ca., the Orange County coroner’s office said, and the passengers were: Lara Shepherd, 42, of Diablo; Floria Hakimi, 62, of Danville; Navid Hakimi, 32, of Los Angeles; Nasim Ghanadan, 29, of Alamo.
No one on the ground was killed in the Sunday, Aug. 5 crash that occurred in a center with a CVS and a Staples on Bristol Street near Sunflower Avenue and across the street from South Coast Plaza.The 1973 Cessna 414 was on approach to nearby John Wayne Airport when it went down shortly before 12:30 p.m.
The Cessna dove straight into an occupied red Chevy sedan, parked in front of the CVS. Firefighters said it was a “miracle” no one on the ground of the busy shopping center was injured.
Lara Shepherd, Hakimi and Ghanadan were all real estate agents with Pacific Union International, a spokesman said. The company operates largely in Northern California. In an Instagram post from early Sunday, Floria Hakimi shared a photo of herself boarding an aircraft.
Her biography on the Pacific Union website says that “Floria is a trusted counselor, skilled negotiator, and an expert facilitator for all aspects of residential real estate.” It added that she enjoyed biking, playing tennis and spending time with family and friends. She also was involved with community and charity organizations.
Ghanadan, a real estate consultant, had a background in economics and international relations and was known for her “honesty, tenacious work ethic, strong negotiation skills, and cheerful spirit,” her work profile says.
Lara Shepherd was married to Scott Shepherd, who was also a real estate in the Bay Area. They are survived by two children.
Navid Hakimi who was based out of Los Angeles was Floria Hakimi’s son, according to social-media posts.
Navid, who lists himself as a musician, posted a story on Instagram showing him sitting in a moving plane that appeared to be about to take off. He took a short video clip from inside showing him seated and the cockpit behind him.
The plane was registered to Category III Aviation Corp., a San Francisco company, and had flown from the East Bay suburb of Concord, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
It was heading for Atlantic Aviation, one of the airport’s fixed-base operators, to park. An FAA spokeswoman said the plane had reported an emergency but she did not elaborate.
Jesse Perez of Santa Ana was eating lunch at Buffalo Wild Wings, which shares the parking lot, when he heard a loud crash.
“It sounded like a truck hit the building,” he told the Southern California News Group.
Customers ran from the restaurant and saw the wreckage of the white Cessna with blue and green trim.
“I couldn’t believe what was happening,” Perez said.