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California

CALIFORNIA BRIEFING

By Jack Leonard
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A 70-year-old pilot from Gardena was killed when his glider crashed as he tried to take off from a private airport in Lake Elsinore, authorities said Sunday.

About 2:50 p.m. Saturday, a plane was towing William R. Klesse’s Schweizer glider for takeoff at Skylark Airport, said FAA spokesman Ian Gregor. The glider crashed about 400 yards off the runway, seriously injuring the pilot, who was the only person on board, Gregor said.

Klesse was pronounced dead at 7:10 p.m. Saturday at Inland Valley Medical Center in Wildomar, according to the Riverside County coroner’s website.

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He lost control of the unpowered plane “for unknown reasons” before he crashed, according to the website.

Gregor said the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the cause of the accident.

-- Jack Leonard

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California
Jack Leonard

As senior editor of investigations, Jack Leonard oversaw the work of a team of investigative reporters. As a reporter, he was part of the team that exposed fraud and abuse in California’s conservatorship system, a series that won several national awards. He went on to investigate how early releases from L.A.’s jail system perverts justice and fosters more crime on the street. Later, he worked on a sweeping expose of abuse and corruption in the L.A. County Sheriff’s Department.

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