An electric plane built from a kit crashes in California, killing four people, including an experimental pilot and his new fiancee, according to reports.
Pilot Rocky Ferrier was flying a single-engine, four-seat Cozy Mark IV plane when it crashed near Moss Beach, off the coast of Half Moon Bay, south of San Francisco, around 7 p.m. Sunday. KTVU reported.
A 911 caller reported first hearing “engine spatter” and then seeing the plane crash into the water. Philip Hallworth of the San Mateo County Sheriff's Office said.
The Australian-born pilot died along with his fiancée, venture capitalist Cassidy Petit, her friend Emma Wilmer Shiles, and a fourth person who has yet to be identified.
According to the paper, Ferrier graduated from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology with a degree in aerospace engineering in 2019, worked for Magpie Aviation, which specializes in electric planes, and was the owner of the doomed plane. It is said that
His LinkedIn also listed him working for Beta Technologies, an electronic aerospace company based in Vermont.
“I'm interested in electric airplanes. Design them, build them, and fly them!” His profile read one line.
CBS News Bay Area reported that Ferrier was well known in the so-called “experimental plane” community and was described as a “smart and capable pilot.”
Experts argued that such aircraft should not be dismissed as unsafe just because they are made from kits.
“This is a proven design,” former aircraft commander Ross Sagun told CBS News Bay Area, adding that it was “well tested.”
“That being said, it's up to the manufacturer to build the airplane properly and maintain good engineering and construction practices,” he told the outlet. “It's hard to guarantee that.”
“Kit planes fly every day,” pilot and San Jose State University instructor Scott Miller told KTVU.
“Sometimes we track the history of this type of airplane [is] It's a little difficult because most people “don't have flight data or cockpit voice recorders,” he said.
Ms. Ferrer recently became engaged to Ms. Petit, a Hayward resident who worked at RH Capital, a venture capital firm in San Francisco. They and a fourth unidentified person are reportedly presumed dead, although their bodies have not yet been found.
The body of Wilmer Shiles, 27, of San Francisco, was found near the crash site Monday morning. NBC Bay Area reported. The MIT graduate was identified by the San Mateo County Coroner's Office.
The National Transportation Safety Board said the cause of the accident is still under investigation.
The NTSB said a preliminary report on the crash would be completed within two to three weeks. However, a probable cause report will take him one to two years.
The Federal Aviation Administration is also involved in the investigation.
