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# Faulty rod may have felled plane
- URL: https://www.smdp.com/faulty-rod-may-have-felled-plane/
- Published: 2006-03-21T16:00:00.000Z
- Updated: 2026-10-23T17:22:32.000Z
- Author: Kevin Herrera
- Tags: Crime, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import

*Mechanics call plane engine’s failure rare*

GLENDALE, Calif. — A faulty engine rod may be to blame for the plane crash that killed former “Press Your Luck” game show host Peter Tomarken and his wife, according to a preliminary crash report released over the weekend.

The National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates crashes, said in the report that the engine case of the Beechcraft Bonanza flown by the Tomarkens had a hole that was about eight inches across and six inches wide and stretched between two cylinders. A 2.5-inch piece of a connecting rod from the engine’s crankshaft was loose within the engine, fractured at one end and twisted.

Aviation experts said the loss of an engine rod would lead to complete engine failure.

The plane crashed in the Santa Monica Bay about 2.5 miles south of the pier at 9:50 a.m. on March 13, shortly after taking off from the Santa Monica Municipal Airport. Tomarken reported engine trouble after being in the air just two minutes and was attempting to glide back to the airport without power.

Tomarken, 63, and his wife Kathleen, 41, were on their way to San Diego to pick up a cancer patient scheduled for treatment at UCLA Medical Center as part of Project Angel Flight, a non-profit comprised of pilots who offer free flights to those seeking emergency medical treatment.

Witnesses of the crash reported seeing the plane flying about 400 feet above the water, descending rapidly at a 30-to 40-degree angle. The aircraft hit the water at a high rate of speed, creating a large splash. It rested on top of the water for roughly 30 seconds before sinking rapidly.

Tomarken and his wife were pulled from the wreckage and taken by boat to a sheriff’s station in Marina del Rey, where they were pronounced dead.

According to the Los Angeles County Coroner, the Tomarkens suffered severe blunt trauma when they hit the water, and died as a result of drowning. They were most likely knocked unconscious when their plane hit the water at about 100 mph, coroner’s officials said.

The six-seat aircraft was equipped with lap belts, but no shoulder harnesses were installed, the crash report stated.

Mechanics who work on Beechcraft Bonanzas said the structural failure found in Tomarken’s plane was very rare and nearly undetectable during routine maintenance. The rod could have been removed during engine repairs and never reconnected properly, mechanics said.

The plane was salvaged from under 20 feet of water and the wreckage examined March 15 by an NTSB investigator, three Federal Aviation Administration inspectors and representatives from Raytheon Aircraft Company and Teledyne Continental Motors, which manufactured the plane and its engine.

Tomarken hosted the television show “Press Your Luck” in the mid-1980s. He also hosted a series of other game shows, including “Decades,” “Wipeout” and “Bargain Hunters.”

*Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 21, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/032106.pdf?ref=smdp.com)