A Cessna 210 piloted by a CFI who reported a low fuel condition while on approach to the Torrance Airport, near Los Angeles, crashed into a house on Thursday. A 90-year-old woman who lived in the house was “stunned,” but unhurt. Local residents pulled the burning pilot from the wreck, reports said. An entire country away, three skydivers were in a Cessna 180 when it clipped a tree and crashed shortly after takeoff from a grass strip in Pennsylvania last week — one of the skydivers died and the others were hurt. It turns out that the 81-year-old pilot had been denied an FAA medical, but won’t face any criminal charges, authorities said last week. (It seems that in this case illegally piloting an aircraft, without a medical, does not constitute reckless endangerment). Local authorities said there was no evidence of criminal recklessness, so no charges would be brought. The pilot’s daughter told the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review he had failed his FAA physical after having double-bypass surgery two years ago.
