An aerobatic trainer with a pilot and passenger veered off the runway during takeoff in California Wednesday and crashed into a hangar. The two men on board the SIAI-Marchetti SF260 were treated after the incident at Fullerton Municipal Airport for minor injuries, according to the Los Angeles Times. The pilot of the aircraft, operated by Air Combat USA, apparently lost control on takeoff, departed the runway and struck other airplanes before crashing into the hangar, local officials said.
The FAA is investigating. The aircraft and hangar sustained heavy damage, as seen in news photos, showing the SF260 wedged beneath the hangar door and the crumpled nose, which appears to have had a prop strike before it broke off the aircraft. Air Combat USA sells “be a fighter pilot for a day” flight packages in the SF260.
(Clarification: The aircraft nose in the photo appears to be that of the SF260, not a different aircraft.)
