Pilot Drowned in River After Ultralight Crash
A 63-year-old San Gabriel man whose ultralight aircraft crashed into the Santa Clara River this weekend died of asphyxia caused by drowning, according to the Ventura County coroner’s office.
Jerome Kristian was pronounced dead at the scene Saturday after his aircraft clipped power lines and fell into the river near Todd Lane, west of Santa Paula.
Farm workers who saw the ultralight hit the lines and plunge into the river found the aircraft upside down in the water. Kristian was underwater, still belted into his seat, according to the Ventura County Sheriff’s Department.
The workers freed Kristian and pulled him to the river’s edge, but he showed no signs of life.
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