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Man killed in Camarillo plane crash
Student pilot from Thousand Oaks dies after aircraft hits ground, flips
By Jenni Mintz (Contact)
Monday, July 16, 2007
A 42-year-old Thousand Oaks man was killed Sunday morning after the plane he was flying on his first solo flight crashed and flipped at Camarillo Airport.
The call came in to the Ventura County Fire Department around 8:15 a.m. that a privately owned P-51D Mustang, a World War II-era plane, had gone down.
About 30 emergency personnel responded to the south end of the runway, including staff from airport operations, the Ventura County Sheriff's Department and the county Medical Examiner-Coroner's Office, said Mark Taillon, Ventura County Fire Department captain.
The man was pronounced dead at 8:35 a.m.
Witnesses said the man appeared to be practicing taking off and landing, Taillon said. He took off from the runway headed west when the plane crashed into an adjacent field, according to the fire department.
By 12:06 p.m., the plane had been flipped upright and the body removed. At the family's request, the victim's name was not to be made public until today, as family members in the area had yet to be notified.
The airport reopened for normal operations about 1 p.m., according to airport staff.
Witnesses reported that the plane bounced, which meant that the pilot likely applied gas while landing, causing the plane to flip, said Jim Hinkelman, who was nearby at the World War II Aviation Museum.
The engine dislodged and was found in chunks scattered about 25 feet from the plane.
When the plane struck the ground and rolled, it ended up with the left side digging into the runway. The impact left the left side of the wing crumpled, while the right side remained intact.
"He would have had to hit really hard to do that," said Mike Mills, owner of the Waypoint Cafe. "You can see why the guy didn't make it — the thing's upside-down."
Hinkelman did not recognize the plane, with its distinctive stripes, as a local aircraft.
By noon Sunday, officials had yet to determine whether the man flying the plane also owned it. It was the same plane he had used to take lessons, Taillon said.
Prior to the crash, the man had been flying with an instructor, officials said.
The instructor had notified the tower that the pilot was doing his first solo flight, Taillon said.
Leaving the plane, the instructor "told the tower that the student pilot was going to make patterns," said Mike Fergus, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, which is investigating the crash.
Jason Somes, 35, of Simi Valley was among the Commemorative Air Force Museum members who helped direct a crane operator to remove the plane from the crash site.
Somes, a pilot, identified the craft as a vintage plane nicknamed the Lou IV, and said it had been flown at the Camarillo Air Show in August.
The plane model was introduced into combat by the Air Force in December 1943 to escort bombers on missions over Germany. Mills estimated the value of the plane to be about $1 million.
— Staff writer Lisa McKinnon contributed to this report.
Previous plane crashes in Ventura County
April 24, 2007: A vintage T-28 Trojan Fennec makes a belly landing on the sand at Mandalay Beach Park in Oxnard. No one is injured.
Sept. 6, 2006: Two Southern California Edison employees die when their helicopter crashes north of Somis during an inspection of power lines.
July 1, 2006: Two members of a Santa Barbara family are killed and two others are injured when their single-engine plane crashes into a drainage ditch near a lemon grove in Somis.
May 27, 2006: A woman and a 2-year-old girl are injured when the sport utility vehicle in which they are riding on Victoria Avenue is struck by a plane whose pilot is attempting to make an emergency landing at Oxnard Airport. The pilot is also injured.
April 20, 2002: Two crew members are killed when their Navy QF-4 Phantom II jet crashes during a landing maneuver at the Point Mugu Air Show. No one on the ground is injured.
Jan. 31, 2000: Alaska Airlines Flight 261 crashes near Anacapa Island, killing the 83 passengers and five crew members on board.
Feb. 13, 1991: A pilot and passenger are killed when their small stunt plane collides with a helicopter piloted by cartoon voice artist Noel Blanc, son of Mel Blanc, near Santa Paula Airport. Blanc and his passenger, actor Kirk Douglas, are injured.
— From staff reports
_________________
In Honor and Memory of Marine Bombing Squadron VMB 611 "Black Seahorse" 1943-1945
Remembering 1st Lt Doit L Fish, MIA May 30, 1945 in PBJ-1J "MB 11"
Cherry Point - Parris Island - Emirau - Zamboanga
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