In the US death toll from California mid-air collision rises to five

The death toll from a mid-air collision between an executive jet used by military contractor BAE Systems Inc and a small plane over Southern California on Sunday has risen to five, according to a fire department spokesman.

              The fiery crash left debris and bodies scattered over more than a mile (1.6 km) and sparked brush fires in the area where the wreckage landed near the U.S border with Mexico, San Diego-based Cal Fire Division Chief Nick Schuler said on Monday.

A twin-engine Sabreliner crashed with a single-engine Cessna 172 at around 11 a.m. on Sunday some two miles (3 km) from Brown Field Airport in San Diego County, Schuler said.


The jet was on a training mission with the U.S. Navy, National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) investigator Andrew Swick said. He said the Cessna pilot was practicing so-called "touch and goes," or fast-paced, take-offs and landings.

Four of the dead were traveling on the Sabreliner, according to the San Diego County Medical Examiner. The fifth victim was the pilot of the Cessna, which had no known passengers, the examiner's office said.

BAE Systems, a British-based military contractor, on Monday named three employees who were on the Sabreliner.

Carlos Palos, John Kovach and Jeff Percy died in the crash, along with an unidentified contractor, the company said. A spokesman said the three were based in Mojave, California.