A pilot who died after his single-engine plane towing a glider crashed as it took off from Byron Airport on Saturday has been identified by the Contra Costa County coroner’s office as 68-year-old Concord resident John Scott.
The two-seat Bellanca 8GCBC flipped over and caught fire at about 1:20 p.m. Saturday, while the trailing glider landed safely, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.
Gregor said the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the fatal crash, with the NTSB as the lead agency.
How very sad. Prayers to his family and friends.
As an old glider pilot towed many times I would like to know how that happened.
As a former sailplane owner/pilot I would also like to know how this happened, as towing/flight incidents are extremely rare. The tow pilot must have a towing endorsement on his pilots license and if any money changes hands, it must be a commercial pilots license. Also if there is a problem with the glider, the tow pilot has the option to release the towline at any time.