Search Continues for Missing Plane

A search continued late Monday for a private plane with two men aboard that disappeared while on a flight from Compton to Mammoth, the Civil Air Patrol reported.

More than a dozen Civil Air Patrol aircraft searched the rugged Sierra Nevada terrain for Redwan J. Abouhamed of Hawthorne, who flew his small Cherokee aircraft out of Compton Airport on Sunday morning. Also on board was another pilot identified as John Lazar of Inglewood.

Abouhamed’s wife reported the plane missing early Monday.

“We know Abouhamed refueled in Fresno and got a face-to-face weather report,” said Civil Air Patrol Lt. Col. Frank Burnham, who added that he was not aware of any weather-related flying restrictions in the area on Sunday. “He asked for the weather between Fresno and Mammoth.”

Flight controllers were unable to track the plane on radar after it got about 30 miles northeast of Fresno, Burnham said.

Although no radio messages or distress calls were received, Burnham added: “We have to assume the airplane is down because he didn’t reach his destination and has not been found at any other airports in the area.”