ONA CREW EXTEND
HEARTFELT CONDOLENCES
TO THE FAMILY

CHRISTOPHER JULIUS PETRIKAS

Pilot killed in Lake Perris crash ID'd

08:40 AM PST on Tuesday, December 21, 2010

The Press-Enterprise 

The person killed in yesterday's airplane crash at 
Lake Perris was a 65-year-old Riverside man, the 
plane's owner and pilot, Riverside County coroner's 
officials have confirmed. 

Christopher Julius Petrikas died at the scene of the 
wreck, which was discovered at 4 p.m. Monday on a 
hillside in the Lake Perris State Recreation Area. 

Petrikas was the only person aboard the twin-engine 
Aero Commander 680FL Grand Commander, according to 
the Federal Aviation Administration's website. 

The plane took off about 9:30 a.m. from Palm Springs 
on a planned flight to Chino Airport, FAA spokesman 
Ian Gregor has said. A relative of the pilot called 
the FAA at 11 a.m. to report the plane overdue, 
triggering a search. 

Riverside County sheriff's officials "pinged" the 
pilot's cell phone, which they traced to Lake Perris 
State Recreation Area where the wreckage was found. 

The plane was built in 1968. The cause of the 
accident has not been determined