A SANTA CRUZ FAMILY OF 4 DIED IN YESTERDAY’S PLANE CRASH IN WATSONVILLE. DAVID HOUGHTON, HIS WIFE (DOROTHY), AND THEIR 2 SONS (12 YEAR-OLD LUKE, AND 10 YEAR-OLD RYAN), ARE SAID TO HAVE BEEN FLYING TO A FAMILY REUNION AT PINE MOUNTAIN LAKE, WHEN THEIR 1974 MOONEY M20F CRASHED….SHORTLY AFTER TAKING OFF FROM WATSONVILLE AIRPORT.
THE 4-SEATER PLANE IS BELIEVED TO HAVE HIT THE GROUND IN THE PARKING LOT OF WATSONVILLE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, BEFORE SKIDDING INTO THE GROUND FLOOR OF COASTAL WOMEN’S HEALTHCARE…A PRIVATELY-OWNED OB/GYN OFFICE (LOCATED IN A BUILDING ON THE OUTER RING OF THE HOSPITAL’S PROPERTY).
THE HOUGHTONS RAN 2 SANTA CRUZ COMPANIES (A+ ENVIRONMENTAL SOLUTIONS, A TOXIC CLEAN-UP FIRM), AND AQUA SAFARIS SCUBA CENTER (WHICH SELLS SCUBA EQUIPMENT AND SETS UP DIVE TRIPS). LUKE AND RYAN WERE SCOUTS, AND DAVID AND DE-DE (WHO WAS A FORMER 3RD GRADE TEACHER) WERE DEN LEADERS.
72 YEAR-OLD SANTA CRUZ RESIDENT EDWARD HOUGHTON (DAVID’S FATHER), SAID HIS SON’S FAMILY ‘LIVED A VERY FULL LIFE’….ALBEIT A BRIEF ONE. DAVID HOUGHTON WOULD HAVE TURNED 45 THIS COMING MONDAY.
