The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a plane crash that killed former Laguna Niguel Mayor Robert Ming on Sunday.
Ming, 51, was the plane’s pilot and the only person on board. The single-engine aircraft crashed after 10 a.m. at Johnson County Executive Airport in Kansas. The plane was headed for Albuquerque, New Mexico, according to KSHB.
Ming was elected to the city council in 2006 and served as mayor from 2009 to 2013. The city’s current mayor, Elaine Gennawey, called him “one of the most consequential figures to have ever shaped the city of Laguna Niguel.”
“His leadership really has shown in many areas of our community and our community is heartbroken by this loss and we mourn with his family.”
Ming leaves behind his wife and four children.