An avid aviator, Russell Watts was a well-known and well-loved fixture at Whiteman Airport in Pacoima.

The 55-year-old Pacoima resident, known as "Mountain Man," was killed Wednesday when the Cessna 152 airplane he was piloting crashed into a dirt embankment in a citrus orchard south of Fillmore.

He died from blunt force chest injuries, Ventura County Deputy Medical Examiner Shasta Gainer said Thursday.

"He is going to be missed by a lot of people," said Don Hagopian, president of the Whiteman Airport Association. "It was a shock to everyone."

Watts ran a oil pipeline inspection business at the airport. He was also an aircraft maintenance mechanic and aircraft inspector, Hagopian said.

The single-engine airplane left Whiteman Airport at 12:37 p.m. and crashed at 1:10 p.m. under unknown circumstances, Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration in Los Angeles, said Wednesday.

On Thursday, Gregor said there was no new information regarding the crash.

Watts flew out of Whiteman to conduct pipeline inspections, but he did not specifically tell the control tower that was what he was doing Wednesday.

The plane had been seen flying over Piru, east of Fillmore. The aircraft approached the South Mountain area south of Highway 126 before it made a sudden sharp turn and crashed. The Cessna burst into flames when it crashed near Guiberson Road and the Santa Clara River.

Inspectors fly over pipelines in search of leaks or spills and changes in topography that might compromise a pipe. Aerial inspections are also used to check on electrical wires.

The California Fire Marshal requires the inspection of petroleum pipelines every three weeks, said Emmett Cooper, a pipeline safety engineer with the office.

An outgoing man with a sense of humor, Watts was an advocate for pilots and championed safety, Hagopian said.

"He was always wanting to do things to help the airport." Hagopian said. "He just loved flying. If he could fly every minute of the day, that was his thrill."

Watts founded the airport association six years ago and served on its first steering committee. Later, he was on its first board of directors.

"He was a frequent speaker on behalf of pilots at many Aviation Commission meetings," association secretary Shellie Hagopian wrote in an e-mail to members Thursday morning. "Whiteman has lost a colorful member of the family."