HOLLISTER
– Two San Jose area residents were killed when their Ultralight
airplane crashed into a field near Hollister Municipal Airport on
Thursday.
HOLLISTER – Two San Jose area residents were killed when their Ultralight airplane crashed into a field near Hollister Municipal Airport on Thursday.
William Dieck, 60, of San Jose, and James Riley, 77, of Saratoga, died instantly when their two-seat, single-engine plane crashed into an agricultural field around 10:25 a.m. at Highway 156 and Shore Road, said San Benito County Sheriff Department Lt. Pat Turturici.
Dieck, a certified flight instructor, and novice Riley had simultaneous control of the plane when it crashed. Riley was sitting in front with Dieck behind him, Turturici said.
After leaving the airport, officials are still unsure how high the plane was flying when it went down.
“Eyewitnesses said the plane was circling above the field and it didn’t seem to be in distress, but lagging a little,” Turturici said. “It veered to the left and then went straight down.”
The witnesses didn’t hear any engine pops or any other obvious signs of complications, Turturici said.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) will not conduct an investigation into the crash because of the experimental classification of the craft, Turturici said.
However, a toxicology report will be conducted and a special autopsy will be performed on Dieck because he was a certified flight instructor, he said.
Ultralights are considered experimental aircrafts that can be made at home by purchasing a do-it-yourself kit.
Most of the planes are one-seaters, and the two-seaters are used by instructors for training purposes only, according to federal aviation regulations.
