Two Bodies From Plane Crash Are Recovered

Two bodies and the wreckage of a single-engine Cessna that went down in the water near San Pedro on Feb. 15 after a midair collision were recovered Monday.

Sea Tow, a marine salvage company, used sonar and divers to locate the wreckage Thursday and marked the location with a buoy. But when investigators returned Friday to retrieve the remains, the buoy was gone, said Capt. Chuck Myers, owner of Sea Tow.

After again scanning the bottom of the ocean Sunday and diving into about 65 feet of water, company workers found the location again.

“I stayed out all night to make sure nothing happened to the buoy,” Myers said.

Sheriff’s divers, Baywatch, the National Transportation Safety Board and the coroner’s office were present as the bodies and wreckage were brought to the surface about 3 p.m., Myers said.

The bodies retrieved are believed to be those of Mike Wallace, 18, of La Habra Heights and Kevin Sok, 33, of Long Beach. Wallace was on his initial training flight with instructor Sok when their aircraft and another plane, both Cessnas owned by the Long Beach Flying Club, collided.

The bodies of the pilot of the other plane, John Michael Chisolm, 56, and passenger Steve Arlow, 42, both of Huntington Beach, were found the next day.

Sea Tow was brought in by the National Transportation Safety Board after the Coast Guard gave up its search.