Famous composer dies

Film Composer James Horner Dies In Tucano Crash

By Elaine Kauh

Hollywood film composer and pilot James Horner died Monday when his Tucano turboprop crashed in a forest in southern California. An Associated Pressreport, confirming Horner was the solo pilot and owner of the aircraft, said the Tucano crashed and burned in the Los Padres National Forest, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles. The FAA is investigating. Debris from the fiery crash covered about an acre in a remote area and the surrounding vegetation burned before firefighters responded to the scene, according to a CNNreport.  Horner, an Oscar-winning composer best known as the writer of film scores for blockbusters such as “Titanic” and “Avatar,” was the only one on board the aircraft, identified as an S-312 Tucano MK1. Employees at an airport in Camarillo confirmed that Horner, 61, departed in the airplane Monday morning, the AP reported. The Tucano model is a two-seat, single-engine turboprop designed as a military trainer. It was one of several aircraft owned by Horner, according to an AP report.