An Anaheim pilot and father of three was killed in a Southern California plane crash last week, just 10 days before he was set to begin his dream job as a private pilot.
Ramzi Al-Shurman, 28, and his best friend, identified by his fiancée only as Temo, were killed when their plane crashed in Ridgeline on the morning of May 7.
Al-Shurman’s wife, Nadeen Zatar, told KTLA the couple were high school sweethearts and that her late husband was always in “his happy place” in the sky.
“He said it was like heaven up there,” Zatar said. “He felt safe up there.”
“I’m really proud of him, all the hard work he did and made it to the airlines and didn’t even get to start,” she added. “The weight was finally lifted off his shoulders. He was finally going to be able to fulfill his goal of taking care of us and starting our life with our children.”
Family members said Al-Shurman spent years working toward a career in aviation while supporting his family.
“He was dedicated,” Al-Shurman’s cousin, Ahmad Alkhdairi, told KTLA. “He dedicated every dollar, every dime of time toward becoming a pilot so he could be the sole provider for his family. He achieved his goals and was 10 days away from his dream job.”
Now, Zatar said she and the couple’s three children are trying to navigate life after the devastating loss.
“I didn’t know what I was going to tell my daughter. She’s 6,” she said. “His kids miss him so much. My daughter keeps asking to call him. I don’t know what to tell them.”
The crash also sparked a brush fire in remote Kern County near the Southern California–Central Valley border, according to the Bureau of Land Management. This is now believed to have triggered the Canyon Fire in the El Paso Mountains south of Ridgecrest, which burned over 2,000 acres but is now 98 percent contained, according to Cal Fire. Flight data shows a 2006 Cessna 182T lost contact minutes after departing Inyokern Airport on May 7, near the fire’s origin.
GoFundMe campaigns launched for the families of Al-Shurman and Temo had recieved significant support as of publication. More than $76,700 had been donated toward Al-Shurman’s $200,000 goal, while Temo’s fundraiser had raised about $1,550 of its $6,500 target.
The Independent has contacted the Kern County Fire Department, Cal Fire and the Bureau of Land Management, which is leading the investigation, for comment.
