A World War II-era plane crashed at a California airport during a Father’s Day event, killing both pilots.
Frank Wright, 67, director of operations for the Yankees Air Museum, was piloting the twin-engine Lockheed 12A with his co-pilot Saturday afternoon when the plane crashed and burst into flames at the Chino Municipal Airport. ABC7 reported.
“The plane went into a steep dive and the first thing to hit was the left wing, probably where the fuel was, and there was an immediate explosion,” a witness at the crash scene told the media.
The Chino Valley Fire Department confirmed that Wright and the co-pilot were killed, but the co-pilot’s identity was not immediately released.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they were investigating the crash.
Yankees Air Museum officials said they are cooperating with authorities regarding the incident, adding that the museum’s facilities will remain closed.
“Yankees Air Museum will be closed until further notice as our family deals with this tragedy. We appreciate your patience and respect for our privacy as we navigate this difficult time,” officials said in a statement.
Wright was a member of the Yankees Air Museum flight team and fellow pilots mourned his death with tributes posted on social media.
“I [k]”I hadn’t seen Frank Wright in the last 10 years, but he always made time to sit down with me and talk about airplanes and flying, and was always available to help me with any mechanical questions I had about how to fix problems on the DC-3,” Gary Stark wrote on Facebook.
“He will be greatly missed in the military aviation community,” Stark added.
