Share
NORCO — A one-of-its-kind flying wing aircraft crashed and burst into flames in the exercise yard of a Southern California prison on Monday, killing at least one person, authorities said.
The Northrop N-9M crashed around midday “under unknown circumstance” at the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco shortly after takeoff from nearby Chino Airport, said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer.
The pilot was the only person on board the historic aircraft, Kenitzer said.
Riverside County sheriff’s officials couldn’t immediately confirm the pilot’s death but said the crash was fatal. Nobody on the ground was seriously hurt, although one inmate received scratches, said the state Department of Corrections and Rehabilitation.
Television news footage showed debris spread across a scorched patch of empty yard at the prison about 50 miles east of downtown Los Angeles.
The Last Remaining of Four Flying Models
Several people in the area reported hearing a loud noise and then seeing smoke rising into the air.
Susan Fracol, who watched the plane go down, told reporters it was “heartbreaking” to witness.
The single-seat plane was returned to flying condition in 1994. FAA records show the owner as the Planes of Fame aircraft museum in Chino, which was preparing for an air show next month. The museum confirmed on its website that a pilot died and the plane was lost.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, Kenitzer said.
The medium security prison houses about 2,700 inmates.
RELATED TOPICS:
Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction
7 hours ago
Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records
8 hours ago
Bannon Calls Musk a ‘Parasitic Illegal Immigrant’
8 hours ago
Judge Declines to Immediately Block Elon Musk or DOGE From Federal Data or Layoffs
8 hours ago
NBA Playoff Race Heats Up as All-Star Break Ends
8 hours ago
NASCAR’s Jeff Gordon Talks ‘Days of Thunder’ Sequel With Tom Cruise
8 hours ago
Adames Joins Giants, Excited to Team Up With Gold Glover Chapman
9 hours ago
Leonard Peltier Released After Biden Commuted Sentence in FBI Agents’ Killings
10 hours ago
Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee
5 hours ago
Categories

Fashion Fair’s Forever 21 to Close. ‘Still a Ways to Go,’ Says Employee

Who Runs Elon Musk’s DOGE? Not Musk, the White House Says.

Madera County Secures First Fentanyl-Related Homicide Conviction

Musk Team Seeks Access to IRS System With Taxpayers’ Records
