1 victim in deadly clairemont plane crash identified

Authorities Wednesday officially identified one victim of the deadly plane crash Saturday in Clairemont while releasing some details — but not the name — of the second victim. Robert

Stelling, 50, of Southampton, New York, was a passenger in the single-engine, six-seat aircraft that crashed around 4:30 p.m. into the backyard of the home at 6266 Chandler Driver, the

Medical Examiner’s Office said. Stelling died in the wreckage of the Beech B36 Bonanza, which experienced engine troubles shortly after taking off from nearby Montgomery Field. The aircraft

crash-landed in an empty field next to Lafayette Elementary School, skidded into the home and burst into flames. Authorities identified the other passenger who died in the crash as a 46-

year-old man, but his name was still withheld pending family notifications. The San Diego Union-Tribune reported that Stelling’s wife, Dawn, survived the crash. The pilot, whose name has not

been released, also survived, fire officials said. The newspaper reported that the Stellings — parents to three children —  were visiting San Diego for a veterinarian conference. Dawn

Stelling is a veterinarian and the owner of Olde Towne Animal Hospital in Southampton, according to the clinic’s website. Nobody was inside the home when the plane slammed into it, though

Max Sansa, who rents the house, told several media outlets he’d left for work 10 minutes earlier and his Maltese poodle, Biggie, was killed. His wife, Liz Serrano, and their 2-year-old

daughter were out of town at the time. The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the accident. _—City News Service_