Ray passed away on April 29, 1983.  Currently an obiturary cannot be found, however the following newpaper artical describes what happened...

Wreckage of crashed rental plane lies in the edge of a stream in the San Bernardino Mountains. Plane crash wreckage found; 4 dead

By MARK LUNDAHL Sun Staff Writer The wreckage of a small airplane carrying four Norton Air Force Base airmen was discovered Monday morning in an isolated San Bernardino mountain creek near Angeles Oaks. None of the four men, who had taken the rental plane for a single-day trip to Las Vegas, survived the crash. The search for the missing aircraft began Sunday, after the airmen were reported missing Saturday evening. The four left Redlands Municipal Airport in the rental plane Friday morning and were scheduled to return by 5 p.m. that same day. They had told friends they intended to fly in the local area but did not file a flight plan. The pilot, identified as Airman 1st Class John H. Jennings, 25, of West Jordan, Utah, was described as inexperienced, with 70 hours flying time.Others aboard were identified as Airman 1st Class Brian J. Bocian, 20, of Reading, Pa.; Senior Airman Raymond L. Haug, 25, of Mt. Lebanon, Pa.: and Airman Geraldo R. Vicente, 19, of Gardena. All were members of the 63rd Aerial Port Squadron. Sheriff's helicopter pilots and two fliers from March Air Force Base searched the desert and mountains Sunday with no luck. By Sunday night, Civil Air Patrol officials tracked the plane from Las Vegas to the Angeles Oaks area, about seven miles from Red-lands, using computer printouts of radar scans. The search continued Monday until 11:15 a.m. when sheriff's pilot Sgt. Jim Singley and an observer, reserve deputy Dave Savel, saw the wreckage in Bear Creek, about two miles north of Slide Lake. Singley said it appeared the plane was flying up a steep canyon, probably in low clouds, when it went into a left spin and crashed. The plane is believed to have smashed into the base of a sheer cliff at about 5,400 feet then tumbled into the creek. About a dozen sheriff's search and rescue volunteers were flown in to retrieve the bodies.

https://cdnc.ucr.edu/?a=d&d=SBS19830503.1.34&e=-------en--20--1--txt-txIN--------1