Federal authorities today are investigating Thursday's fatal airplane crash in Nevada County that killed a pilot when his single-engine aircraft crashed into a hangar.
He was identified as James Richard Ungar, 66, of Yreka, according to the Associated Press.
Ungar, an emergency room doctor, was leaving from the Truckee-Tahoe Airport on a humanitarian medical mission to Mexico.
The Piper Comanche crashed about 8:15 a.m. Thursday, according to Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.
Kevin Smith, general manager of the airport, said FAA and National Transportation Safety Board representatives were at the scene today sorting out details of the accident.
"What we do know is that the aircraft struggled on takeoff and was having a hard time climbing," said Smith. "It made a turn to the right and impacted a hangar row."
The airplane on Thursday was still sitting inside the hangar it hit and fell into.
"It went through the roof and is fully contained inside that hangar," said Smith.
Smith said about a dozen people witnessed the plane on takeoff. The crash could have been the result of any number of reasons, he said.
"I don't want to speculate on why," said Smith.
Nobody was inside the hangar at the time of the fatal crash, he said.
Smith did not know the pilot, but confirmed that Ungar was a hangar tenant at the airport.
"There are any number of reasons why people have a hangar here," said Smith. "They might have a summer home here or come here to ski."
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