SURVIVOR RECOUNTS FIERY PLANE CRASH : CAMERAMAN ANGUISHED BY FELLOW PASSENGER'S CRY FOR HELP.

Byline: Anne Burke Daily News Staff Writer

A television cameraman who survived a fiery plane crash thanked Jesus Christ for sparing his life Tuesday, but said he still is haunted by the screams of a fellow passenger who perished in the accident.

``I think that was the hardest thing to face, to hear her cries for help and not be able to do anything about it,'' said J.D. Orozco, 26, of San Gabriel.

Patricia Ann Kopp, 44, a graphic artist from Studio City, and her boyfriend, Edison Concha, 37, a student pilot and director with the Spanish-language Telemundo network, were killed when the Piper PA-28 crash-landed at a private airstrip about 60 miles east of Bakersfield.

An instructor pilot also was killed, but his identity was not available Tuesday.

Moments after hearing Kopp's voice, flames engulfed the plane, Orozco said.

Orozco, a former Telemundo employee now shooting free-lance assignments, spoke at a press conference at the Grossman Burn Center at Sherman Oaks Hospital, where he is being treated for third-degree burns over 23 percent of his body.

Orozco's head, hands and arms were swathed in gauze bandages, while transparent strips covered his red and blistered face.

He underwent surgery Monday and will undergo another round Thursday to replace burned tissue on his fingers and arms with his own skin.

``I believe he'll gain back full function of his hands. He's very fortunate,'' said plastic surgeon A. Richard Grossman, the burn center's director and founder.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash, but could provide no clues Tuesday about the cause.

Orozco said he could not explain the accident, but noted that the plane banked sharply and the engine stalled before it plunged to the ground.

Concha, a student pilot for several months, was flying the plane until the instructor pilot took over the controls near the landing strip, Orozco said.

The instructor pilot made two passes before attempting to land, Orozco said. ``I remember (Kopp) told me, this is the part I hate most - the landing,'' Orozco said.

Concha responded: ``There's no need to worry, everything's fine,'' Orozco recalled.

The foursome was en route to Kern County to eat lunch with Concha's manager, Ron Steelman, who lives about a mile from the crash site, Steelman said.

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PHOTO J.D. Orozco describes the plane crash during a news c onference at Sherman Oaks burn center.

Gus Ruelas/Daily News