Man killed in plane crash in Nevada ID’d as San Diego resident

One of two people killed in a private plane crash near a Nevada airport earlier this month has been identified as a 59-year-old man from San Diego.

John McCarthy was identified by his family as the second person killed in the crash that happened Sept. 7 in the city of Henderson, according to The Las Vegas Review Journal. The newspaper identified the other person who was killed as 48-year-old Lorenzo Harris of California.

Three other people were injured, including a good Samaritan who suffered minor injuries from smoke inhalation when trying to help rescue the people in the plane.

McCarthy was director of maintenance at the California Flight Academy in El Cajon and was returning home from a work trip the evening of Sept. 7 with others when the plane crashed, the newspaper reported.

The single-engine Beechcraft Sierra plane experienced a mechanical issue soon after taking off from Henderson Executive Airport. After the propeller plane made a U-turn and attempted to land, it crashed and burned, killing McCarthy instantly and mortally wounding Harris, who died later at an area hospital.

A door of the plane reportedly opened mid-flight, prompting the pilot to attempt to land the plane. The cause of the crash still remains under investigation.

The Clark County Coroner’s Office has not publicly identified McCarthy as one of the victims killed in the crash.

A GoFundMe page was created to support McCarthy’s wife, Linda McCarthy, who reportedly hoped to hold memorial services in California and John McCarthy’s hometown in Massachusetts.

McCarthy is described on the GoFundMe page as a loving husband, dad and grandfather who enjoyed witty one-liners and had a contagious smile.

“He’d do anything to lift the spirits of those around him, and was such a light in so many of our lives,” it reads.

The page, created Saturday by his step-daughter Katie Selagi, had raised more than $4,000 with a goal of $50,000 as of Monday evening.