Update: This story has been updated to include the name of the previously unidentified man in this accident.
Pilot killed when homemade airplane struck cell tower
Tragedy struck in Corona, Calif., this weekend when a homemade airplane crashed into a monopine cell tower. Of the two occupants of the aircraft, one was pronounced dead on the scene and the other was a woman ejected before the crash. According to fire officials at the scene, she was rushed to an area hospital and sustained only moderate injuries. The pilot has now been identified as William Dalo, a 55-year-old Lake Elsinore resident.
This is the first recorded incident of a plane hitting a stealth cell tower such as a monopine, which is a cell tower disguised as a tree. Oddly, the monopine is not listed in the Federal Communications Commission’s database, so there is no way to determine who it belongs to at this time.
A crew from Southern California Edison turned off power to the structure so emergency personnel could work unhindered. The reason for the plane crash is still unknown at this time, but is being investigated by the National Transportation Safety Board.
More on this story as it develops.
