ALPINE COUNTY, Calif. — Two victims who died Wednesday in a plane crash in Alpine County have been identified.
Raphael S. Jones Jr., 74, of San Jose, and Jeannette Shriver Singer, 80, of Lodi, were killed in the crash, according to the Alpine County Sheriff’s Office.
Jones piloted the plane and Singer was his passenger. The pair were cousins, authorities said.
The Lodi Police Department confirmed Saturday Singer was one of the two victims. The agency said she engaged with the community as a dedicated police volunteer, retired educator and devout Catholic. She is survived by her husband Sam and daughter Gabrielle.
Flight maps show Singer and Jones were heading to South Lake Tahoe from Lodi. The crash was found around 5:30 a.m. after Alpine County Sheriff’s Office deputies were alerted to an overdue flight around 1 a.m.
The aircraft was a 1941 Luscombe 8A, according to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). It was a fixed wing single-engine plane certified in 2004. Its certification was set to expire in 2029. In the FAA’s initial report, the aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances.
Jones’ private pilot certificate was issued in December 2010. He fell into the third class of medical certificates, which is appropriate for private pilots who fly for pleasure or personal business, according to the Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association.
Because he was over age 40, any third class medical certification would be valid for two years. The last date logged under Jones’ medical information in the FAA registry is September 2007.
Certification of the pilot is part of the information the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) will collect as part of the ongoing investigation, the agency told ABC10.
“The FAA looks at pilot qualifications as part of every accident investigation,” the FAA told ABC10 Sunday. “The NTSB is the lead investigative agency and will provide all updates.”
