SANTA PAULA : Plane in Crash Was 1 of 2 in the U.S.

The experimental Berkut jet plane that plummeted into the Santa Clara River this past weekend, killing a stunt pilot, was one of only two registered with the Federal Aviation Administration.

Officials at the FAA said Monday that they are still investigating what caused Richard Fessenden of Camarillo to crash the 18-foot jet into the riverbed.

They and National Transportation Safety Board inspectors are combing through wreckage, checking the pilot’s background and reviewing safety records maintained by Experimental Aviation, the Santa Monica firm that built and sold the plane.

“The term experimental is kind of a misnomer,” FAA spokesman Hank Verbais said. “It simply means it wasn’t built in a factory. But they have to undergo the same certification process as a factory-built plane.”

Federal officials said Monday that Fessenden held a valid airline transport pilot’s certificate--the highest license attainable. But it will be a while before officials release the pilot’s safety record or other information, Verbais said.

Fessenden was a retired Navy pilot who flew for American Airlines. He died Saturday performing aerobatic stunts for an audience of thousands at the 65th annual Santa Paula Air Show.

David S. Ronneberg of Experimental Aviation is listed in FAA records as the builder of the Berkut planes. He did not return calls on Monday.

But Thomas Olgeirson, a Virginia cinematographer who owns the other registered Berkut, said the home-built jets are safer than other private planes.

“They don’t spin, they don’t stall, and they’re very predictable,” said Olgeirson, who said he bought his kit from Ronneberg three years ago.

“When you’re doing that kind of stuff close to the ground, the margin of error is very slim,” he said. “It’s just a sad moment for us all as a community.”