La Cañada Man’s Test Flight Lands on Roof

A La Cañada resident lost power in his home-built Zenith Zodiac plane Saturday while performing a test flight and crashed into a home in Rosamond, north of Lancaster.

Paul Clement, the pilot and sole occupant of the plane, had taken off from the Skypark airport shortly before noon on July 14. The plane got into trouble less than a mile from takeoff and crashed onto the roof of the Rosamond house. The cause of the power loss is still under the investigation of the Federal Aviation Administration, according to Ian Gregor, FAA spokesman.

Bobbi Sendegas and her family exited their home to find the plane on their roof. No one on the ground was injured, but Clement was transported to Antelope Valley Hospital where he was treated for minor injuries.

Kern County Fire Department responded to the accident call. “There was no fire on the scene [and] crews cleaned any fuel leak,” said engineer Derek Tisinger of the Kern County Fire Department.

According to Tisinger, the plane’s landing gear clipped the roof and tilted, with one wheel on the ground. The damage to the home was estimated at $1,000.

“The plane was a total loss,” Tisinger said.