Crime & Safety

Plane Crash Victim Remembered As Committed Conservationist

Mark Benjamin and his son Luke are believed to be on board a fatal flight that crashed at the Santa Monica Airport.

A Malibu man, who is believed to have died along with his son this week in a plane crash at the Santa Monica Airport, was a committed conservationist and CEO.

Mark Benjamin and his son Luke are believed to have been on board a twin-engine Cessna Citation, which veered off the right side of the runway on Sunday night. It was arriving from Hailey, Idaho. 

Earlier today, investigators said the bodies of two women and two men were found in the wreckage of the crash. Their dental records will be used to help with the identification. The remains of two cats and a dog were also recovered.

NTSB spokeswoman Kelly Nantel told the Associated Press investigators would gather evidence and then stop working. The NTSB could not be reached for comment because its offices were closed. 

Malibu Councilwoman Laura Zahn Rosenthal said on her Facebook page that she knew the Benjamins.

"RIP Mark Benjamin and his son Luke," Rosenthal wrote. "A generous, warm gentleman through and through. Just heartbreaking. Thinking of his surviving son who just lost his dad and only brother."

Others wrote that Mark Benjamin, CEO of Santa Monica-based Morley Construction, was generous to Malibu schools and the nearby Malibu High School. 

Mark Benjamin owned homes in Malibu and Idaho, where he would often travel between on a regular basis. It is not known if he was pilot in the crash on Sunday.

He was on the board of the Idaho Conservation League, which posted a blog Tuesday memorializing Benjamin. (Read the full post here.)

"Mark Benjamin was a father, CEO, friend, conservationist, hiker, dog lover, amateur photographer and remarkable man," the blog post states.

He loved to pilot and was a committed conservationist. His nonprofit, the Mark Benjamin Foundation, worked to protect the environment and support youth programs. He supported many groups including the Malibu Foundation for Youth and Families, Nature Bridge, Yellowstone Association, Wood River Land Trust, as well as the LA Philharmonic and Autry Center.

Benjamin is survived by his son, Matt Benjamin. 


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