A pilot who was killed in a plane crash in east San Diego County mountains close to Jamul earlier this month has been identified by the San Diego County Medical Examiner.
Craig Houston Cornford, 57, was behind the controls of the experimental plane when it hit the northwest side of Lyons Peak close to Granite Oaks Road and Lyons Peak Road around 12:42 p.m. on Oct. 5.
San Diego Top Stories
The wreckage was found about an hour later in a remote area by a sheriff's department helicopter. Cal Fire crews had to cut through brush to access the crash site. The ME's office said the plane's destination was unknown.
Get San Diego local news, weather forecasts, sports and lifestyle stories to your inbox. Sign up for NBC San Diego newsletters.
"At approximately 1241 hours, a witness called 911 and reported hearing 'sputtering' from a plane in the air and a 'loud bang,' " according to a report filed on the ME's website, which also reported that Cornford "died on impact in the crash."
The pilot's found among the wreckage, Cal Fire Capt. Thomas Shoots said at the time.
A small, experimental plane with tail number N887QR, which had no passengers aboard when it crashed, was reported missing to Cal Fire, according to Capt. Shoots.
Investigators were unable to identify the crashed plane initially because of the extensive debris field, Shoots said, so they can't confirm the missing plane is the plane that crashed.
The missing plane was flying 216 mph at 4,400 feet east of Jamul when FLIGHTAWARE, an online flight-tracking database, lost track of it.
The National Transportation Safety Board tweeted out later that night that they were investigating a crashed Mustang II airplane in Jamul.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were both notified of the crash, the Sheriff's Department said.
