Simi Valley residents thought the small aircraft circling the neighborhood on Saturday was part of the airshow.
The plane appeared to fly irregularly, and I drew it as I approached the ground. There was a huge boom when a Kit plane cut out a house on High Meadow Street, near Wood Ranch. Authorities say two passengers and a dog on the plane have been killed.
The Ventura County Medical Inspector's office has identified the victims as 69-year-old Paul Belkowitz of Westlake Village and his son, Thousand Oaks, 36. Their deaths were listed as accidental and due to trauma of dull forces.
“We would like to express our sincere gratitude to the Ventura County Fire Department, the Simi Valley Police Department and all of our first responders for their swift and heroic efforts on the scene,” the family said in a statement. “Paul was a dedicated father and husband, a passionate pilot and lifelong animal lover. His loyal companion, Brody, was by his side on many of his flights.”
The family said Matthew Belkowitz shared his father's passion for aviation and enjoyed the time he spent flying together.
Matthew Belkowitz on the left and his father, Paul Belkowitz, died Saturday when their plane crashed in the Simi Valley.
(Berkowitz family)
The second fatal crash in five months involving that model aircraft is highlighting the overall process of obtaining such experimental and amateur kit aircraft, the rate of accidents, and regulatory approval to fly passengers.
According to experimental aircraft enthusiasts, around 30,000 amateur planes are currently certified in the United States. According to the Federal Aviation Administration, the total number of registered aircraft has tripled since the 1980s. Nailing the exact number of such planes in use is a moving target, as the database for tracking new registered and old derelict planes is not always up to date.
According to enthusiasts, kit planes are much cheaper than factory-built aircraft and are becoming increasingly popular as they give the community a sense of customizing their routes into the sky.
The FAA said the single-engine van RV-10, a fixed-winged plane, departed from Lancaster on its way to Camarillo on Saturday.
Paul Belkovitz is listed as the former owner of Camp Bow Wah Agoura Hills and Bow Wah Bungalows in Burbank.
He has a passion on social media to help animals in overcrowded shelters and has shared that he will be flying his dogs to his new home from the shelter for a nonprofit called Pilot N-Pau.
“This is the most satisfying flight I've ever done as a pilot,” he told Pet Vet Sales, a pet business broker and consulting company. The company also noted that Belkovitz enjoyed flying his amateur construction RV-10 plane, the same type that he crashed in Simi Valley.
Shortly before the crash, the control tower at Camarillo Airport tried to contact Belkowitz. He didn't respond immediately.
Finally, his voice became clear when he said, “We need vectors. The plane keeps me on.”
Air traffic controllers repeatedly asked Berkovitz to provide altitude, but there was no clear response, according to audio posted to Liveatc.
“You're losing radar contact,” the traffic controller said. That is, the tower had not received surveillance data used to determine the location of the aircraft.
The official cause of the crash is under investigation by the National Traffic Safety Commission, a federal agency tasked with investigating the crash and crash. According to an agency spokesperson, a preliminary report could be issued over the next 30 days and the final report could be released in the next 1-2 years.
While much unknown remains about the crash, authorities have confirmed that the plane is an experimental or amateur kit aircraft. About 1,000 kit-made planes are considered airworthy by the FAA, a spokesman for the international aviation enthusiast organization, experimental aircraft Assn, said about 1,000 kit-made planes are considered airworthy each year.
According to available data from the FAA, there were fewer fatal accidents involving experimental categories and amateur aircraft in the period from October to May, with 18-18 and 18-18.
The van RV-10 crashed in Simi Valley on Saturday was the model for the plane that crashed into a Fullerton warehouse on January 2nd, killing the pilot and his 16-year-old daughter, and injuring 19 people on the ground. The company selling Van's Aircraft, a kit plane, is based in Aurora, Ore.
Before the crash in January, the experimental category saw a fall of about 25% in fatal accidents compared to 10 years ago, according to the ASSN of the experimental aircraft. From 2005 to 2014, available data showed that between 2015 and 2024 there were 527 fatal accidents in the homemade category.
According to the FAA, if more than 51% of planes are manufactured and assembled by individuals or groups for educational or recreational purposes, amateur aircraft meet the definition.
Some enthusiasts choose to buy a kit with airplane parts that are already manufactured, while others choose to buy or manufacture and assemble their own parts.
Often, these homemade planes are assembled between $10,000 and $100,000 in a residential garage, depending on the type of aircraft that enthusiasts are hoping to fly, according to the experimental aircraft ASSN.
The FAA inspector or certified inspector then meticulously passes through the builder's log of when the parts were assembled and how long it took. Builders should compile a timeline showing photos and how to assemble the plane.
Afterwards, pilots should complete 25-40 hours of test flights in well-maintained areas to ensure that all parts are functioning properly, according to the experimental aircraft ASSN. Guidelines. Only after that phase is completed can the pilot take passengers.
The van's RV-10 is the experimental aircraft Assn, one of the most commonly used and refined kits available on the market. Vice President Sean Elliott said earlier this year following the January clash.
“They make up a large part of the recreational fleet of amateur aircraft and provide a lot of support to builders and pilots,” Elliott said.
An experimental aircraft assn following Saturday's crash. Spokesman Dick Napinski warned that crashes on each plane must be considered a unique incident of its own.
“Like car accidents, those causes make accidents 50 or 100 or 1,000 miles away from each other almost different situations,” he said.
