Pilot killed in Livermore plane crash identified
LIVERMORE, Calif. (KGO) -- A pilot killed in a plane crash Monday night north of Livermore has been identified as 75-year-old Michael Seal, of Pleasanton.
The crash occurred around 9 p.m. near the end of Hartford Avenue off North Livermore Avenue in an open field, according to Alameda County fire Battalion Chief Bob Hopken.
The pilot of the Piper PA-22 radioed the tower right before the accident to report problems. "Four Charlie, I have a slight control problem. I'm going to circle here to check it out and then head back to the pattern," Seal said.
The crash started a two-acre grass fire, which firefighters extinguished, Hopken said.
Witnesses posted pictures of the burning wreckage on social media. Authorities say the pilot was killed and was the only one on board. "The reaction if something like this happens is always extremely sad and we question ourselves how can did this happen," Airport General Manager Leander Hauri said.
The general manager at the airport said the crash will likely have pilots doing even more thorough pre-flight checks even though he says they are all very safety conscious. The airport is helping in the investigation and is also in mourning. "Filled with our fellow tenants and we're close to 500 tenants in the airport, but long-time tenants, we know each other, I mean this really is extremely sad like a family member was taken from us," Hauri said.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating and are working on gathering evidence. They plan to move the wreckage to a storage facility where they can examine it.
Local emergency responders are also lending support. "We've maintained the scene all night with deputies to make sure because this is a crime scene, so you want to make sure that nobody enters into your scene and so now the FAA and NTSB will take over," Alameda County Sherriff's Office spokesperson Sgt. J.D. Nelson said.
Federal officials told ABC7 News it could be weeks before they release their official results.
The Bay City News contributed to this story.
