Ultra-Light Aircraft Crash Knocks Out Power In Indio

It was a sight to see in the east valley. Around 6:30 Thursday evening, an ultra light air-craft crashed into a power line in Indio and burst into flames.

According to the pilot, a gust of wind pushed him into the power line at Avenue 42 and Monroe. As the pilot was working to free himself from the aircraft, he fell 50 feet to the ground and broke his leg. He was taken to Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs.

“The ultra light itself, the power chute mat caught fire when it arched between the power line and as the map dropped down into the brush below, that’s what started the fire,” Robert McIlroy from CalFire said.

“The guy just took his seatbelt off and fell. We pulled him out of the way,” David Murillo, who helped drag the pilot away from the fire, said.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating. The crash originally knocked out power to 3,900 Indio residents. As of Thursday night around 11:00, about 200 were still without power.