Hermosa Beach Man Who Made Crash Landing Sentenced for Fraud

Paul Franklin Ostrove of Hermosa Beach was sentenced to six months in jail for insurance fraud after making false statements about his qualifications to pilot an aircraft when filing a claim in connection with the crash landing in August 1998 at Daniel Webster Junior High School in Los Angeles.

In addition to the jail sentence, the 34-year-old man was ordered to pay more than $212,000 in restitution and serve five years probation. Three passengers were injured when the plane ran out of fuel. No one was injured on the junior high field where the plane crashed.

The insurance policy on the plane stated that coverage was dependent on pilots meeting all Federal Aviation Administration certification requirements. According to California Department of Insurance investigators, Ostrove did not meet all of the requirements at the time of the crash.

The FAA later revoked his pilot’s license, but Avemco Insurance paid more than $250,000 on the claim. Earlier this year, the Hermosa Beach man pleaded no contest to a grand theft charge.