RIVERSIDEÂ - A student pilot fatally injured in a fiery airplane crash in Hemet declared that his engine had quit just prior to the accident, leading to an attempted emergency landing that resulted in the single-engine plane bounding over a road and plowing into a retaining wall, according to a federal report released today.
The National Transportation Safety Board's preliminary findings on the June 7 crash near Hemet-Ryan Airport pointed to a power loss during a touch-and-go maneuver, as well as the aviator's unsuccessful forced landing, as apparent factors behind what happened.
Federal investigators said the victim, whose identity has not been released, flew the low-wing Beechcraft 77 Skipper solo from Redlands Municipal Airport to Hemet-Ryan Airport -- about 20 miles -- to run a seri
