2 L.A. Women Among 3 Dead in Air Race Crash : Aviation: Search continues for clues in Nevada accident. It represents first fatalities in annual contest out of Van Nuys.

Federal aviation officials were looking for clues Sunday after a plane, possibly suffering from engine trouble, crashed in Nevada during an air race, killing two Los Angeles women and a man from Great Britain.

It was the first fatal accident in the 17-year history of the Valley Air Derby, a race flown out of Van Nuys Airport and sponsored by the Ninety Nines, an all-women flying group. “Everyone has just been devastated by this,” said Mary Rawlings, co-chairwoman of the race.

The victims were identified as 67-year-old Ilse DeVries, the pilot, of Los Angeles, and her co-pilot, John Mosely, 66, of Great Britain. Their passenger was Barbara Baer, 67, of Sherman Oaks. It was her first Derby. “She was very excited about the trip and was looking forward to it,” her husband, Dan Baer, said Sunday.

Derby organizers said spectators watched in shock as the Beechcraft Bonanza circled the Mesquite Airport and then began to tumble to the ground about 12:25 p.m. Saturday. “You could tell the plane was in trouble,” said Rawlings, who spoke with witnesses at the scene.

Rawlings said the plane flew 200 to 400 feet above the finish line and, as expected, headed away from the airport, about 80 miles northeast of Las Vegas. But in a departure from normal landing procedures, DeVries did not make a wide arc before returning to the airport. She also did not appear to reach the recommended altitude of 3,000 feet above sea level, race officials said.

Instead, Rawlings said, the plane made a sharp U-turn as DeVries headed back to the airport, and then soon afterward, began to fall about half a mile north of the airstrip. Witnesses said they could hear the engine sputtering as the plane did its flyby, but airport officials said they did not receive any trouble calls from the pilot.

Capt. Greg Smith of the Mohave County Sheriff’s Department said the three people died on impact. Officials with the Federal Aviation Administration said they were investigating the cause of the crash.

Rawlings said she had known Baer fairly well because of Baer’s active involvement with the Ninety Nines in the past year.

Baer, a psychotherapist with a practice in Encino, had joined the Ninety Nines about 18 months ago. She had long had a passion for flying.

“As a youngster she was pilot for the UCLA Flying Club,” said her son, Dan Goetz. “As a senior in 1950 she got polio. Then she couldn’t fly any longer. She maintained an interest in flying, but she just couldn’t pursue it.”

The plane was one of 33 participating in the Derby. For the last two years, the planes have raced from Van Nuys to Mesquite, a 400-mile trip.

Grim-faced pilots returned to Van Nuys on Sunday. “It’s a loss,” Lorrie Blech, a pilot from Beverly Hills, said simply.

Despite the accident, Rawlings said there are no plans to change the format or rules of the race. She explained that the Derby already has stringent rules that require planes to undergo thorough inspections, carry all necessary equipment and have full fuel tanks.

The only other major problem in the race occurred a few years ago, when a plane lost power and its pilot was forced to make an emergency landing in the desert. No one was injured.

Rawlings added that the crash will not deter her from competing in future air races.

“This was my 76th air race since I started racing 13 years ago,” she said. “There has never been an accident like this, ever.”

The Ninety Nines were founded in 1929 in Long Island, New York, to further aviation education and safety and promote women in aviation. Its first president was Amelia Earhart.

San Fernando Valley women formed a local chapter, based at Van Nuys Airport, in 1952. Its members have included former WASPs, or Women Air Force Service Pilots, who during World War II ferried aircraft across the country and performed other flying duties in the military.

Williams is a Times staff writer and Hwangbo is a special correspondent.