> ## Content Index > Fetch the complete content index at: https://www.smdp.com/llms.txt > Use this file to discover other available public pages before exploring further. # TV host, wife die in plane crash - URL: https://www.smdp.com/tv-host-wife-die-in-plane-crash/ - Published: 2006-03-14T16:00:00.000Z - Updated: 2026-10-23T17:21:18.000Z - Author: Kevin Herrera - Tags: Crime, Santa Monica Airport, #archive-import *‘There was nothing anyone could do’* SM BAY — A former television game show host and his wife, bound for San Diego on a humanitarian mission, were killed Monday morning when their plane crashed into the chilly waters about 400 feet off the Santa Monica shore. Peter Tomarken, 63, who hosted “Press Your Luck” in the mid-’80s, and his wife Kathleen, 41, were found dead minutes after their single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza hit the 53-degree water near Ocean Park Boulevard. Tomarken was pronounced dead at the scene by Los Angeles County Lifeguards. His wife was in full cardiac arrest and died before she could be transported to a local hospital. As of 5 p.m. on Monday, lifeguards were still searching for a possible third victim. Authorities with the National Transportation Safety Board, or NTSB, said three passengers were listed in the flight manifest, however, that count may Tomarken’s six-seater took off from Santa Monica Airport at 9:35 a.m. en route to San Diego’s Brownfield Municipal Airport, where he was to pick up a woman in need of treatment at UCLA Medical Center as part of Angel Flight, a non-profit comprised of pilots who provide free air service for those who are ill and cannot afford airfare. At 9:40 a.m., Tomarken radioed the airport and reported engine trouble. He requested an emergency landing and the runways were cleared. That call was the last authorities heard from the aircraft, according to Kristi Dunks, an investigator with the NTSB. Witnesses on the beach reported seeing the plane flying south along the coast at a low altitude, when it started to tilt downward at a 20-to 30-degree angle near lifeguard station 26. “I could tell by the way it was heading that it wasn’t going to make it to the airport. It wasn’t even going to make it to the sand,” said resident Patrick Bloomer, out taking a morning walk when he saw the Beechcraft rapidly losing altitude. “It was scary to see it go down... surreal.” Those near the scene said they heard the engine sputter, as if it had run out of gas. As the plane neared the ocean, the right side tilted downward, crashing almost head-on into the surf. Witnesses said the plane sank in roughly 19 feet of water within seconds. “There was nothing anyone could do. That’s God’s work there,” said Tyrone Thompson, who saw the crash unfold from a park nearby. “I give all the credit to the lifeguards. They responded as quickly as they could, but the plane just sank too fast. It was horrible.” Bob Trimborn of the Santa Monica Airport said it is problematic for pilots to land on water because of the sudden abruptness in deceleration. “He did as good a job as he could have done on the water,” Trimborn said. Doug Griffith, a spokesman for Angel Flight, said Tomarken was one of 72 Angel Flight pilots based at Santa Monica Airport. Pilots with the non-profit fly patients in need of transplants, surgery or treatment. They also transport families of Iraqi war victims to pick up the bodies of their loved ones. The pilots are not reimbursed for the flights. “It’s a terrible thing for the organization, but it’s nothing compared to what the family has lost,” Griffith said. “Angel Flight, as an organization, thinks the world of its pilots and our hearts go out to the family.” Roughly six hours after the crash, lifeguards used inflatable devices to lift the plane up off the ocean floor. Ropes were tied around the Beechcraft’s tail and pro-pellor, and a bulldozer managed to pull it out of the water. NTSB officials immediately washed the engine out to protect it from further damage caused by salt water. Investigators planned to tow the plane off the beach to a secure location where they can examine it along with a video of the accident captured by a tourist. Dunks said they will use the tape to help determine the plane’s “attitude” before the crash. “Hopefully, we can determine whether or not the plan was being flown at the time of impact or if the pilot had lost control,” Dunks said. “From the witness I interviewed, it looked as if the pilot was in control of the plane and was trying to make an emergency landing on the beach before the crash.” In addition to lifeguards — who classified the accident as a “minor marine disaster” — the Santa Monica Harbor Patrol, Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department and U.S. Coast Guard all responded to the scene. The last time a plane crashed in Santa Monica Bay was roughly six years ago when a pilot took off in bad weather, became disoriented and slammed into the water about a mile off the coast, near Topanga Canyon. Tomarken, born Dec. 7, 1942 in Olean, New York, hosted a series of game shows in the 1980s, including “Decades,” “Wipeout” and “Bargain Hunters,” according to Internet Movie Database. He made appearances on several television dramas, including “The Rockford Files,” and had a small role as a reporter in the 1978 Warren Beatty film “Heaven Can Wait.” His most recent appearance on camera was in 2004 in a short film entitled “19 at 11.” Tomarken is survived by a son, Jason, and twin daughters, Alexis and Candace, from a previous marriage, according to www.TV.com. ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031406-01_01.jpg) (Photo: Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031406-01_02.jpg) (Photo: Kevin Herrera/Daily Press) ![](https://storage.ghost.io/c/55/9f/559f9abc-8372-4a2e-8c2d-27386da4e363/content/images/2026/10/031406-01_03.jpg) (Photo: Fabian Lewkowicz/Daily Press) *Originally published in the Santa Monica Daily Press print edition on March 14, 2006.* [Read the original PDF.](https://s3.us-east-1.amazonaws.com/smdp%5Fbackissues/031406.pdf?ref=smdp.com)