Minor injuries reported after vintage bi-plane flips at Jurupa Valley airport
JURUPA VALLEY, Calif., — Authorities say a pilot escaped serious injuries after a vintage bi-plane he was operating flipped over while taxiing at the Flabob Airport in Riverside County yesterday morning, Tuesday, Nov. 30.
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Cal Fire – Riverside County Fire Department and other emergency personnel were dispatched to the airport, located north of Rancho Jurupa Park and south of Mission Avenue in Jurupa Valley, around 11:34 a.m. after receiving reports of an aircraft emergency, fire officials have since reported.
Crews are seen working to right an overturned bi-plane back onto its wheels after the vintage, 1929 Travel Air 4-D flipped over while taxiing at the Flabob Airport in Jurupa Valley yesterday morning. FL360aero photo
When officials arrived they found an aircraft overturned on a marked strip adjacent to Runway 24. The pilot, whose name and other information have not been released, had already managed to self extricate from the plane by the time paramedics arrived. The pilot, who was the sole occupant of the two-seat aircraft, suffered minor injuries and was transported to an area hospital for further treatment, according to Cal Fire.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) were notified of the accident and have since responded to investigate the cause of yesterday’s incident.
Officials were later seen righting the overturned, single-engine, bi-wing aircraft onto its wheels, so it could be assessed for damage and necessary repairs. The aircraft, which sustained moderate damage in the accident, has since been identified as a Travel Air 4-D, manufactured in 1929.
Although the FAA lists the involved plane as being registered to Richard Zieler, of Rancho Cucamonga, it was not immediately known who was operating the plane at the time of the accident.
An FAA official at the scene said she could not immediately confirm whether the plane was taxiing before taking off or after landing. She also said no other injuries were reported and that the investigation into the cause of the accident is continuing.
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FL360aero photos
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Trevor Montgomery, 50, moved in 2017 to the Intermountain area of Shasta County from Riverside County and runs Riverside County News Source (RCNS) and Shasta County News Source (SCNS).
Additionally, he writes or has written for several other news organizations; including Riverside County based newspapers Valley News, Valley Chronicle, Anza Valley Outlook, and Hemet & San Jacinto Chronicle; the Bonsall/Fallbrook Village News in San Diego County; and Mountain Echo in Shasta County. He is also a regular contributor to Thin Blue Line TV and Law Enforcement News Network and has had his stories featured on news stations throughout the Southern California and North State regions.
Trevor spent 10 years in the U.S. Army as an Orthopedic Specialist before joining the Riverside County Sheriff’s Department in 1998. He was medically retired after losing his leg, breaking his back, and suffering both spinal cord and brain injuries in an off-duty accident. (Click here to see segment of Discovery Channel documentary of Trevor’s accident.)
During his time with the sheriff’s department, Trevor worked at several different stations; including Robert Presley Detention Center, Southwest Station in Temecula, Hemet/Valle Vista Station, Ben Clark Public Safety Training Center, and Lake Elsinore Station; along with other locations.
Trevor’s assignments included Corrections, Patrol, DUI Enforcement, Boat and Personal Water-Craft based Lake Patrol, Off-Road Vehicle Enforcement, Problem Oriented Policing Team, and Personnel/Background Investigations. He finished his career while working as a Sex Crimes and Child Abuse Investigator and was a court-designated expert in child abuse and child sex-related crimes.
Trevor has been married for more than 30 years and was a foster parent to more than 60 children over 13 years. He is now an adoptive parent and his “fluid family” includes 13 children and 18 grandchildren.