Two pilots die when World War II plane crashes at Father’s Day event

US News

From Ronny Reyes

Two pilots were killed when their World War II plane crashed at a California airport during a Father’s Day event.

Frank Wright, 67, operations manager of the Yanks Air Museum, was flying the twin-engine Lockheed 12A plane with his co-pilot Saturday afternoon when it plummeted from the sky and burst into flames at Chino Airport, ABC 7 reported.

“It went into a dive and the first part of the plane to hit was the left wing, and that’s where I assume the fuel was, and there was an immediate explosion,” a witness to the crash told the outlet.

The Chino Valley Fire District confirmed the deaths of Wright and his co-pilot, whose identity was not immediately known.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board said they are investigating the crash.

Representatives of the Yanks Air Museum said they would cooperate with authorities in this case and added that their facilities would remain closed.

“The Yanks Air Museum will remain closed until further notice while our family processes this tragedy. We thank you for your patience and respect for our privacy as we navigate this difficult time,” officials said in a statement.

Wright was a member of the Yanks Air Museum flight team and his fellow pilots mourned his loss in memorial posts on social media.

“I only knew Frank Wright for 10 years, but he always had time to sit down with me and talk about airplanes and flying. And if I ever had a mechanical question about solving a DC-3 problem, he always helped me,” Gary Stark wrote on Facebook.

“He will be missed tremendously by the warbird community,” Stark added.