Investigators Seek Engine Cover After Westside Plane Crash

Federal investigators are searching for a plane part that may have contributed to a Friday night crash near Santa Monica Airport that killed one man and injured another.

The four-seat Piper 28 had apparently experienced engine trouble after takeoff and later crashed into an unoccupied Westside home. The pilot of the single-engine plane has said that the plane’s cowling, which is similar to a car hood, came loose and blocked his vision, causing him to lose control, authorities said.

The 22-year-old pilot was in fair condition Saturday at UCLA Medical Center with a broken leg and second-degree burns, a hospital spokesman said. The Federal Aviation Administration declined to identify the pilot, and the name of the passenger who died was not available.

The pilot was not a student, as reported earlier, but holds a commercial pilot certificate and was flying his private plane, said Wayne Pollack, of the National Transportation Safety Board.

An FAA spokeswoman said the missing cowling is believed to be a brown, half-moon-shaped piece, probably about three feet wide if intact. Anyone who finds it is asked to contact the FAA at (213) 772-5711 or the NTSB at 310-297-1041.