Fullerton Man Dies in Ultralight Crash
A 29-year-old Fullerton man was killed in a fiery crash during his first solo flight in an ultralight aircraft.
Riverside County coroner’s investigators identified the victim as Robert Mitchel Whitman. He was the only one aboard the craft during the Sunday morning crash.
Police Sgt. Craig Petree said officers went to the Perris Valley Ultralight Airpark and found a two-seat aircraft engulfed in flames.
Firefighters extinguished the flames but were unable to save the pilot.
Whitman had recently completed ultralight flight training, Petree said.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified, but the agency does not investigate ultralight crashes, he said.
Officers believed the accident could have been caused by pilot error.
Ultralights are open-frame aircraft with overhead wings similar to those of a hang-glider.
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