Ultra-Light Plane Crash Kills S.D. Man
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PALM SPRINGS — A pilot practicing takeoffs in an experimental ultra-light plane died when the aircraft crashed near a fire station, authorities said.
Wayne Raymond Litchford, 42, of San Diego died at the scene after his Falcon XP ultra-light went down at 1:45 p.m. Sunday on a taxiway several hundred yards from a city fire station, according to the Riverside County coroner’s office. The airport was closed for about 20 minutes, authorities said.
Litchford had just taken off when he reported a problem and turned back to the airport, said Jerry Acosta, regional duty officer with the Federal Aviation Administration.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
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