Lancair Crashes on Busy Van Nuys Street

Pia Bergqvist

Tuesday, January 13, 2015 at 11:19 PM ET

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Key Takeaways:

An experimental Lancair 320 crashed shortly after departing Van Nuys Airport, resulting in the pilot's fatal injuries.
The crash occurred at a busy intersection; however, no ground injuries were reported, and there was only a minor fire.
The pilot was identified as Alberto Behar, a 47-year-old flight instructor and scientist at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory and Arizona State University.

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An experimental Lancair 320 crashed around 1:15 p.m. on Friday shortly after departing from Van Nuys Airport in Southern California, an FAA spokesman said.

The Lancair ended its short journey at the busy intersection of Hayvenhurst Ave. and Vanowen St., at the departure end of Runway 16R. The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. Nobody on the ground was injured, but the pilot sustained fatal injuries as a result of the crash.