Pilot in deadly California plane crash didn’t have takeoff clearance, airport official says

AVALON, Calif. (AP) — An airport official says that the pilot in a Southern California plane crash that killed all five people aboard did not have clearance to take off. Catalina Airport’s general manager told the Orange County Register Thursday that the airport does not allow flights after sunset because it’s not equipped for nighttime operations. True said the takeoff was not considered illegal even though the pilot was not given clearance. The twin-engine Beechcraft 95 crashed Tuesday evening moments after it departed. Authorities have identified three of the people killed in the crash. It was not yet known who was piloting the plane.