Crime & Safety
Newport Man Injured in Plane Crash
Jefferey B. Welles of Newport Beach suffered moderate injuries when the vintage 1943 Aeronca airplane he was flying crashed.
A Newport Beach man was injured Thursday when the single-engine plane he was flying crashed near San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport.
Jefferey B. Welles of Newport Beach suffered moderate injuries when the vintage 1943 Aeronca airplane he was flying crashed. His co-pilot, an 86-year-old from Paso Robles, suffered more serious injuries, according to Es Berliner of the San Luis Obispo County Fire Department. The co-pilot's name had not been released.
Welles and his co-pilot are members of the Estrella Warbird Museum in Paso Robles, where the aircraft was being housed, Berliner said.
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Welles contacted air traffic controllers at San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport about 9:50 a.m. Thursday, saying he had an emergency and was going down, according to the FAA. The aircraft hit trees and crashed about four miles northwest of the airport.
National Transportation Safety Board and FAA officials will investigate the crash.
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City News Service contributed to this report
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