Los Angeles (CNN) -- Federal officials are investigating whether this week's Pacific storms caused a pilot to crash his small plane into a mountain in a southern California state park, authorities said Friday. It is the second death that might be related to the storms. Christopher Julius Petrikas, 65, a former commercial airline pilot from Riverside, California, slammed his twin-engine Aero Commander plane into a 3,300-foot mountain summit in Lake Perris State Recreation Area on Monday, authorities said. That park is just 11 miles from the city where Petrikas lived. He was the small plane's sole occupant. On Friday, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said his agency and the National Transportation Safety Board will examine if the weather was a factor in the fatal crash.
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NEW: FAA is investigating whether this week's torrential rains caused a small plane crash
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NEW: Searcher recounts the drama of carrying the pilot's body off the mountain
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Authorities are also investigating whether a woman's death is storm-related
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Residents of parts of the Southwest fear mudslides and flood surges
Federal Aviation Administration
FAA
"Yes, weather will be among the factors NTSB and @placeholder examine," Gregor said in an e-mail response to CNN.
Ian Gregor
"Yes, weather will be among the factors NTSB and FAA examine," @placeholder said in an e-mail response to CNN.
California
California
Overall on Friday, rain-soaked residents of @placeholder were enjoying a reprieve from the storms that inundated the state for most of the previous week.
Southwest
But many residents of the region and three nearby @placeholder states spent the time recovering from the damage wrought by torrential rains.
Los Angeles
The heavy rains also produced potential health hazards for swimmers and surfers on particular parts of @placeholder' beaches, and Los Angeles County officials warned recreational users to be careful when next to drains or waterways because they carry bacteria and trash from streets and mountainsides.