Plane Crash Victims Identified, Officially

Authorities today identified the two men killed in one of two small planes that collided over the ocean off San Pedro a week ago.

The crash happened about 3:15 p.m., on Feb. 5. Two days later, a Beech 35 Bonanza with the bodies of a pilot and his passenger inside was found about two miles outside the ports of Los Angeles and Long Beach.

The men were identified today by the coroner’s office as James Franklin Garber III, 80, of Harbor City, and Martin Richard Clement, 61, of Redondo Beach.

Authorities could not immediately say which man was piloting the plane, and the crash remains under investigation.

According to the city-data.com website, Garber was a licensed pilot and a flight instructor. Clement, according to friends, was a Catholic church deacon who worked as a financial planner.

The second plane, a Citabria, was found Tuesday night, about a mile away from where the other aircraft was located, according to the sheriff’s Special Enforcement Bureau.

Both aircraft were operated out of the Torrance Municipal Airport. The crew of a fishing boat was the first to report a plane hitting the water on Friday afternoon.

Authorities have not yet released the name of the woman piloting the Citabria, but she was identified by her husband as Mary Falstrom, 72, of Torrance. Rich Falstrom said his wife had 25 years of experience as a pilot and was a flight attendant when she was younger.

The recovery efforts were led by the Sheriff’s Emergency Services Detail, which is part of the Special Enforcement Bureau. The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.

--City News Service, photo of Martin Clement via LinkedIn