Report: Airplane stalled, flipped inverted prior to crashing in French Valley
A single-engine airplane with a student pilot at the controls, flying with his young sons, stalled, rolled inverted and then crashed next to a building during a touch-and-go landing at French Valley Airport, killing the airman and severely injuring the boys, according to federal investigators.
The National Transportation Safety Board on Thursday released its preliminary report on the July 4 crash that killed 39-year-old Jared Alan Newman of Temecula and left his sons, Caleb, Connor and Elijah Newman, with major injuries.
According to the NTSB's initial findings, Newman was flying the Cessna 172N in the pattern at French Valley just before 2 p.m. on the holiday and was performing what appeared to be a touch-and-go on Runway 18 when he apparently lost control.
"The airplane touched down o