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This plane was bought partially completed
last year and was finished just a couple of hangars down from me at French
Valley Airport (F70). I just spoke to the owner earlier this week. I
only knew his first name, which was Leroy. He'd just finished putting the
engine back on the plane after discovering some serious cracks in his motor
mount during phase one testing last month. The cracks were so bad he
bought a new mount rather than fix the old one.
I wasn't at the airport when the crash
occurred, but from what I've been told, the owner was flying a local hop and
during his turn from base to final, he overshot the centerline and in his
effort to pull the plane back to it, he entered an accellerated stall. The
plane flipped on it's back and went nose first into a field killing him and his
passenger instantly. Though I'm not sure, it sounds like the passenger was
a guy who had helped Leroy with some of the wiring in the plane.
If that's who it was, he left a wife and three kids. Leroy was in his 60's
and his kids are all grown. If I hear any newer news, I'll post
it.
Skip Slater
N540ES
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