California IN BRIEF : EL CENTRO : Pilot, 86, Killed in Home-Built Airplane
An 86-year-old pilot was killed near El Centro when his home-built plane lost power and hit a tree, authorities said. Freeman Henry Easton of Smith River was killed when his small Falcon XP Delta aircraft crashed about 10 minutes after takeoff, said Imperial County coroner-investigator Ralph Smith. Easton’s grandson, Richard Carillo, 33, suffered a broken leg in the crash, but was able to pull the older man’s body from the wreckage before the plane burst into flames, Smith said. Easton, a retired commercial fisherman, received his pilot’s license three years ago. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the cause of the crash.
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