Posted on 04/22/2019 2:20:18 PM PDT by hattend
Authorities are responding to a plane crash in the prison yard of a facility in Riverside County, according to preliminary information from the Federal Aviation Administration.
About 12:10 p.m., the Riverside County Sheriff's Department received reports of an "air emergency" along the 1900 block of 4th Street in Norco.
Only the pilot was in the Northrop N9M when it crashed, the FAA said in an email to KTLA, citing local authorities.
No injuries were reported on the ground, but the aircraft "sustained substantial damage," the FAA said.
Aerial video from Sky5 showed charred ground where the plane appears to have crashed. Remnants of a wheel could be seen.
No further details about the incident were released, but the Sheriff's Department tweeted that the National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating.
It is being said that the pilot was David Vopat, and he did not survive.
Prayers up for him and his family.
Isn’t the air space above penal institutions restricted? Why would it have been flying there if it was?
Well, it was in the process of crashing. Maybe the pilot was looking to do the least damage.
There’s a small airport very close to that location, where I’m assuming the flight originated. I used to live about midway between.
Oh no.
I’ll hold comments for more info, but the pictures make me very worried, mainly the very small crash path on the ground.
One of the most common ways pilots kill themselves is trying to save the plane when they should worry about saving their a$$. Engine loss after takeoff followed by, “I’m going to turn 180 and land back and save the plane.” Usually leads to a low altitude stall spin into the ground. Lost my best friend in the world that way, and watched a plane with three people on board do that about 200 yards from our house when we lived next to a large airport.
Bookmark
A video done at Planes Of Fame in Chino (Norco is right next door...) A shame to see the last one demolished like that.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MMXxaArKZlw (would be good if the link didn’t disappear...)
Oh my, this must have been the plane out of Chino Airport. I have seen it fly about three times including just a couple years ago right over my house during the annual Chino Air Show. It WAS one of the Airports museums pride and joys.
I hate to see them crash, too. But, if it is never going to fly, a replica is fine for a museum. Fly ‘em if you can. That includes the original Wright flyer, as far as that goes - if anyone is brave enough to have a go.
It is the loss of an aeronautical treasure, the last one flying.
“Probably out rehearsing for the upcoming “Planes of Fame” air show”
Yep there have been some Mustangs in the Air the last couple weeks. Maybe just getting the Planes / Pilots certified and/or learning the Chino terrain for the show in two week. We will get whatever bird the Air National Guard is sending to the show doing some practice laps on the Friday before the show. Normally we get a F-16 / Raptor. About 50% of the planes come right over my house on their wide laps back to the airport during the airshow. I haven’t bothered with a ticket for the show for 12 years or so since the show is right over my house.
Ping
Plane? Where?
“Personally, I’m against flying these historic, one of a kind aircraft. Once they’re gone, that’s it.”
That’s the risk we take flying rare and historic aircraft. The saddest site in the world to me is to see a hand-crafted beauty sitting in a museum. They were built to fly, and the young of future generations should see and hear them fly.
To see the smiles of Children when they hear the roar of the big engines as they pass overhead is pure joy. A living, breathing and fire-spitting flying example comes across far better as a way to bring the past to life, than a static display of dusty aluminium sitting in a dank building.
I love the story of Jack Northrup being given a security clearance on his death bed so the Air Force could brief him on the resurrection of his flying wing concept as the future B-2 bomber for America sometime in the early 80’s.
He held a scale model of the plane in his hands then wrote on a piece of paper (unable to speak) “Now I know why God let me live the last 25 years”.
I love that story!
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