At about 21:30 PDT, a Globe Swift crashed near Trona, killing both occupants. The pilot and a friend had flown to Trona for an overnight visit. After dinner that evening, a group from the airport decided to visit a large group camped near the airport. A female member of the camping group asked for an airplane ride; this pilot volunteered. Witnesses at the campground related to sheriffs deputies that the aircraft had flown over the campground earlier in the day at a very low altitude and they admonished the pilot to not fly that low again. The witnesses observed the lights of the aircraft as it departed Trona and began flying over the dry lakebed where they were camped. They said the aircraft came over the camp ground twice. They stated the engine sounded smooth as it passed overhead at no more than 100 feet. They observed the aircraft begin a right turn before losing sight of it. Witnesses stated it took approximately a half hour to locate the wreckage on the desolate lakebed.
Apr. 24, Trona, Calif. / Globe GC-1B Swift
At about 21:30 PDT, a Globe Swift crashed near Trona, killing both occupants. The pilot and a friend had flown to Trona for an overnight visit. After dinner that evening, a group from the airport decided to visit a large group camped near the airport. A female member of the camping group asked for an airplane ride; this pilot volunteered. Witnesses at the campground related to sheriffs deputies that the aircraft had flown over the campground earlier in the day at a very low altitude and they admonished the pilot to not fly that low again. The witnesses observed the lights of the aircraft as it departed Trona and began flying over the dry lakebed where they were camped. They said the aircraf...
Key Takeaways:
- A Globe Swift crashed near Trona around 9:30 PM PDT, killing both the pilot and a passenger.
- The accident occurred during an unauthorized, low-altitude night flight over a dry lakebed, initiated when the pilot volunteered to give a camper a ride.
- Witnesses had previously warned the pilot about flying too low and observed the aircraft flying no more than 100 feet overhead just before it began a right turn and disappeared from sight.
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