Pilot, passenger survive local plane crash

MICHAEL COONS/The Acorn NOT FATAL--The wreckage of a twin engine Piper sits where it came to rest after making an emergency landing at Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village on Saturday. The pilot and a passenger survived and were transported to Northridge Medical Center in stable condition.

A twin engine Piper Seneca airplane crashed at Pierce Bros. Valley Oaks Memorial Park in Westlake Village on Saturday. Two men were transported to Northridge Medical Center and were in serious but stable condition the rest of the weekend.

At 10:20 a.m., the plane appeared to be heading for the Costco store near the cemetery, but the aircraft gained a burst of energy and regained altitude briefly before hitting the ground.

The plane slid for 150 yards, sources said, its wings were split away from the cabin. The cockpit was pinned between two trees, barely missing a mausoleum. The wreckage was scattered throughout the area but part of the fuselage remained intact. No graves were disturbed, officials said.

The two men in the aircraft were identified as Tim Schaeffer, 45, the pilot of Simi Valley, and his passenger Greg Oates, 51, of Van Nuys. They had departed from Van Nuys Airport earlier that morning.

The cause was unknown, but sources said the investigation was underway.

—Michael Picarella