Pilot Killed in Lytle Creek Crash Named

David Stits, whose father is credited with building the world’s smallest airplane and founding the nation’s first chapter of the Experimental Aircraft Assn., was the pilot killed with his girlfriend in the experimental airplane crash north of Fontana over the weekend.

The younger Stits was an aviation enthusiast from Rubidoux who also owned a Riverside County construction company. The 56-year-old became president of the EAA’s first Riverside-based chapter in 2000 after being raised in the aviation industry by his father Ray, 91.

His father designed the Baby Bird, a 60-inch-high plane with an 11-foot fuselage that has recently been housed in the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum and was listed in the Guinness Book of World Records.

“David was doing what he loved and was with the woman he loved, but I don’t believe there’s very much peace in someone’s death,” said Darlene Heller, vice president of the local EAA chapter. “The opportunities in flying and the volunteerism given by David and his family are countless. He leaves very big shoes to fill.”

Stits and Debi Nalepa, 53, of Michigan, were killed Saturday afternoon when an experimental plane designed by his father -- a two-seat SA11 aircraft -- plunged into a dry Lytle Creek wash, bursting into flames near Interstate 15, authorities said.

Witnesses told San Bernardino County sheriff’s investigators that it appeared Stits wanted to land on the freeway but decided to avoid a potential collision with vehicles. Stits purchased the plane two years ago and rebuilt its engine, friends said.

Tealeye Cornejo, a National Transportation Safety Board air safety investigator assigned to determine the cause of the crash, said she expects a preliminary cause to be determined by Friday.

Stits had taken off from Riverside Municipal Airport and was planning to return later Saturday.

“David was an excellent pilot who was all about safety,” said Kathy Rohm, director of community relations at Flabob Airport in Rubidoux, where the 1,000-member EAA chapter is based.

Rohm said Stits frequently took passengers for a so-called “100-dollar burger,” flying to Big Bear Lake or Hesperia for lunch. Heller said Stits’ extensive work with youths was one of his finest accomplishments.

“To see the faces of those kids when they’d get off the plane -- if you could capture that and feel that every day, you’d be the luckiest person alive,” Heller said. “David loved encouraging young people to fly; teaching them, through aviation, that they can do anything they want to do.”

Bob Warner, EAA executive vice president, said experimental aircraft are subject to FAA inspections before they are cleared to fly and must undergo annual follow-up checks.

“I’m anxious to get to the bottom of this [crash], so others can learn from this tragic experience. This is a real loss,” Warner said.