Plane in fatal California crash registered to 'Titanic' composer

Fears for the life of Oscar-winning film composer James Horner increased late Monday after his lawyer revealed that no one has heard from the 61-year-old since a single-engine plane registered to him crashed in Southern California hours earlier.

Jay Cooper, an attorney for Horner, told the Associated Press the plane was one of several owned by the "Titanic" composer, adding "It was his plane, and if he wasn't in it, he would've called."

Ventura County fire spokesman Mike Lindbery said the crash happened around 9:30 a.m. Monday in the Los Padres National Forest. The pilot, whose name has not been released, was killed. No one else was on board. Crews were called in to extinguish a fire that erupted in vegetation surrounding the remote crash site, about 100 miles northwest of Los Angeles.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the plane was an S-312 Tucano MK1 turbo-prop with two seats.

Horner has been nominated for 10 Academy Awards, winning two for 1997's best picture, "Titanic." He composed the film's score and its enduring theme song, "My Heart Will Go On," sung by Celine Dion.

His scores for "Alien," "Apollo 13," "Field of Dreams," "Braveheart," "A Beautiful Mind," "House of Sand and Fog" and "Avatar" also earned Oscar nods, as did his original song, "Somewhere Out There," from "An American Tail."

The Associated Press contributed to this report.