Coroner identifies pilot killed in plane crash in Banning
The Riverside County Coroner's office has released the identity of the man killed in a plane crash a few weeks ago in Banning.
William Hunter, 55, of Aguila Arizona was the lone passenger when a single-engine Gallagher XLT-RG was in a fiery crash near Interstate 10 and the Banning scales.
The crash sparked a small fire that burned a quarter of an acre.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration's preliminary report on the crash, the aircraft registered out of Las Vegas, Nevada. The plane's engine was a Lycoming TI0-540 SER. The FAA classified the engine as "experimental" and categorized it as "amateur build."
According to FlightAware.com, a flight tracking website, the plane originally flew out of the Eagle Roost Airpark Airport in Aguila, Arizona. Aguila is located about 88 miles east of Blythe.
The plane took off at 6:09 p.m. MST (or 5:09 p.m. PT). The plane was last seen near the Banning Municipal Airport at 6:19 p.m. PT
Cal Fire officials said on Tuesday they were called to the scene of the plane crash at 6:28 p.m.
The cause of the crash remains under investigation. The National Transportation Safety Board is handling the investigation. The agency's preliminary report was initially expected to be released last week but has not been put out as of Dec. 6.
Stay with News Channel 3 for any updates.
