Two Dead Following Plane Crash
POSTED: 11:17 pm PST February 26, 2006
UPDATED: 11:19 am PST February 27, 2006
Plane Crash
BAKERSFIELD -- Two people died following a plan crash near California City Sunday.
Terry Fregly of Tallahasse, Florida, and Skip Robinson of Oregon died in the crash that apparently happened while a crew was filming scenes for a movie.
The Soviet Era Fighter plane crashed 13 miles north of Mojave and five miles west along Pine Tree Canyon Road.
According to officials at the crash site, the L-39, or "Albatros," may have clipped a ridge before hitting a section of dirt, then ultimately impacting and exploding.
According to employees at the Mojave Airport, the plane, called "The Wild Child," was build in Czechoslovakia in the early 1970's.
According to the FAA, there are nearly 90 L-39s in private use in the U.S.
Many, including the jet involved in the accident, are used in TV shows, commercials, and movies.
According to the Mach 1's website, which owns the plane, the Wild Child has appeared in the movies Navy Seals, Air Force One, and Jarhead.
The FAA and NTSB were called in from Los Angeles to investigate the crash.
The movie shoot was being staged out of California City's Airport.
The top speed for an L-39 Albatros is more than 500 mph.