Costa Mesa man among five killed in plane crash

A Costa Mesa resident was among the five killed in a mid-air collision over Corona Sunday, the Riverside County Coroner’s office has confirmed.

Brandon William Johnson, 24, was one of four who died mid-flight when the plane he was in collided with another on a clear-skied afternoon. Another man was killed when the debris struck him on the ground.

An investigation into the circumstances surrounding the accident was still underway Monday night.

According to Johnson’s MySpace account, he had recently graduated from Roosevelt University, in Chicago, with an MBA in Real Estate.

Johnson’s former roommate, Mandi Torres, said Johnson had moved out a few months ago and started taking classes to become a commercial pilot.

“We’ve kept in contact and he was supposed to be stopping by the house sometime this week to pick up some of his mail,” she said. “He was always there to listen when we needed to vent I really am going to miss him.”

— Chris Caesar