Last Updated on June 10, 2019 by CCAR Staff
HEMET — Federal aviation officials are looking into what caused an experimental plane to crash at Hemet-Ryan Airport soon after takeoff on Saturday, fatally injuring the pilot.
Coroner’s officials on Sunday identified the pilot who died as Loren Gallagher, 73, of Hemet.
The twin-engine AirCam crashed on the runway at about 9:30 a.m. Saturday, according to Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor, who said the pilot was the only person believed to have been onboard.
The pilot later identified as Gallagher was freed from the wreckage and taken to Hemet Valley Hospital, where he was pronounced dead, the Hemet Fire Department said.
The plane was registered to Gallagher in February, according to FAA records.
AirCam planes are manufactured by Lockwood Aircraft, sold as a kit and put together by the customer, according to the company’s website.
Photos taken at the scene of the crash show the red plane upside down on the runway.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board typically take a year, or in some cases longer, to determine the cause of the crash, Gregor said.
