Airplane Crashes During Departure from Corona Airport

CORONA, CA- A single-engine plane crashed during takeoff from Corona Municipal Airport Monday, leaving the pilot largely unscathed but seriously damaging the aircraft.

Corona Fire Department spokeswoman Lynn Mata told City News Service that the mishap occurred about 1:40 p.m. on the west end of the airfield, located in the Prado Flood Control Basin, just north of Railroad Street.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said the Mooney M20E could not stay airborne and went down in a brush-covered area 200 yards beyond Runway 25.

It was not clear whether the Mooney’s engine quit, Gregor said.

The pilot, whose identity was not immediately released, extricated himself from the wreckage before fire crews arrived a few minutes later. There was no post-impact fire, according to Mata. However, she said the aircraft sustained significant damage.

The plane’s tail number -- N5863Q -- shows it’s 50 years old and registered to a Yorba Linda man.

— By City News Service. Image courtesy of the Corona Fire Department.