The consensus among the witnesses was that Vopat had desperately fought to keep the plane from going into the fully occupied structures within the prison perimeter. Morales said one of the men who dove for cover inside the box suffered superficial cuts, but was otherwise fine. Several Riverside County Fire Department engine crews reached the scene five minutes later and assisted with containment. “They had to let the fire burn itself out.” Throwing water on that makes it worse,” CDCR Lt. “The remains were composed of (wood) and magnesium. There were none.Ī prison fire crew comprised of inmate-trustees reached the location two minutes later and contained but did not immediately knock down the flames. The officer said he checked for signs of life in the remnants of the destroyed N9M. Fearing the flames would enter the enclosure, he again led the men out of harm’s way, jumping over the flaming debris to open space. Thankfully, no one was hit.”Īccording to Dickson, a “wall of flame” faced the men as they emerged from the box. “I didn’t see it, but I felt it, and there was large fiery debris going through the air.
“Two to three seconds later, there was an impact,” the officer said. One of the engines was turning on and off, and the other was humming along nicely.”ĭickson estimated that the single-seat twin-engine plane, with both propellers mounted behind the cockpit, was 150 feet above the prison when “the pilot kind of did a loopy, flip-flop maneuver,” possibly trying to regain control of the ill-fated N9M. “I heard the airplane, and the sound caught my attention, so I looked up,” California Department of Corrections & Rehabilitation Officer Robert Dickson told City News Service. The National Transportation & Safety Board has not released its conclusions about what might have brought down the historic aircraft, but eyewitness accounts may provide insights. The Northrop N9M flying wing was on a post-maintenance flight and had just departed Chino Municipal Airport, piloted by 51-year-old David Michael Vopat of Chino, when it crashed within the fenced grounds of the California Rehabilitation Center on Fifth Street, just west of Interstate 15, on the afternoon of April 22, 2019. Check back later as further information is made available.RIVERSIDE - An airplane that was the last of its kind went down a year ago Wednesday, taking the life of the pilot and nearly injuring inmates and staff at a Norco prison, under circumstances that federal aviation investigators are continuing to probe. Investigators: Pilot reported mechanical trouble with small plane that crashed March 16 in RiversideįAA to revamp oversight after two deadly Boeing crashes Pilot who died in Fullerton plane crash is Utah man investigators examining the aircraft Sheriff’s officials, however tweeted that the National Transportation Safety Board would be investigating the crash. Several people near the area reported hearing a loud noise and then saw smoke rising from an area near the prison.ĬHP dispatchers said the lead agency is Riverside County Sheriff’s officials. Riverside County Sheriff PIO-West April 22, 2019 No further information is available for release from RSO. The circumstances are unknown and the NTSB will be conducting the investigation into the plane crash. #Norco On 4/22/19, at 12:10PM, deputies received reports of an air emergency in the 1900 block of 4th St. The crash was reported shortly after noon near Hamner Avenue and Fourth Street, according to CHP reports. “The aircraft sustained substantial damage.” “There are no reported ground injuries at this time,” Kenitzer said. Among the planes in it’s collection is an N9M, according to the museum’s website.Īuthorities with the museum had not responded to calls for comment as of 1:45 p.m. According to the Planes of Fame Museum at the Chino airport, the museum will be hosting an air show May 4 and 5. She declined to comment further on the pilot or his identity.įracol did the pilot was getting ready for an air show. She also said the pilot was a personal friend. Susan Fracol, who watched the plane go down, said it was “heartbreaking” to witness. Local authorities say only the pilot was on board, but didn’t have information on the pilot’s condition. Kenitzer confirmed the plane departed from the Chino airport prior to the crash. “A Northrop N9M aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances in the prison yard of the California Rehabilitation Center,” Allen Kenitzer, spokesman for the FAA said. A plane crashed Monday, April 22, in the prison yard of the California Rehabilitation Center in Norco, according to Federal Aviation Administration officials.
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