Corona, CA: Pilot Killed in Corona Helicopter Fire.

One person was killed late Sunday when a helicopter burned near a re-fueling area at Corona Municipal Airport.

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the 11 p.m. fire. The identity of victim, the pilot, was not immediately available.

The charred wreckage of the helicopter remained at the airport early Monday. The pilot had stopped to refuel at the airport, located northwest of the 91 and 15 freeway interchange (map), when the fire started.

The FAA released the following statement: "An unidentified Robinson helicopter caught fire near the fuel pumps at Corona Municipal Airport around 11 p.m. Local authorities reported the pilot, who apparently was the only person on board, was killed. The FAA and NTSB will investigate."

A preliminary investigation indicated that one of the helicopter's blades hit a canopy that covers the pumps, which are available 24 hours per day, according to the NTSB. Two witnesses reported sounds coming from the re-fueling area before seeing the chopper on fire.

"He could have just been taxiing by, going to a parking area -- there's too much that we don't know at this point to speculate on that," said Harold Plagens, NTSB investigator.

Parts of the helicopter ripped through a nearby metal hanger. Video showed several gashes in the wall of the hangar.

Dental records will likely be used to identify the pilot, investigators told NBC4.

The airport, on 100 acres of land leased by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, is managed by the city of Corona.

Corona, CA: West Covina officer honored for fiery plane crash rescue

A West Covina police officer received the Burn Institute's 2012 Inland Empire Spirit of Courage Award last weekend for pulling an injured pilot and passenger from the burning wreckage of an airplane crash in Corona.

Officer Mike Weathermon was given the honor at a Sept. 21 ceremony in Riverside, officials said.

"I'm very proud of him," West Covina Police Chief Frank Wills said. "He brought a tremendous credit and distinction to the West Covina Police Department.

Corona, CA: Small Plane Slams into Hangar at Corona Airport

A flight instructor and his student were injured today when the single-engine airplane they were piloting crashed into a hangar during takeoff from Corona Municipal Airport.

The accident happened just before 9 a.m. on the west end of the field. Witnesses reported the two-seat Cessna 150 Aerobat was doing touch-and-go landings when it suddenly veered off the runway and flew into the closed hangar, nosing straight into the doors.

Both aviators were injured, one seriously. The victims, whose names were not released, were transported to separate hospitals for treatment.

No one on the ground was hurt.

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said it wasn't immediately clear who was at the controls when the Cessna crashed.

He said the National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.

The plane, manufactured in 1974, is registered to a Cheyenne, Wyoming- based investment firm and may be one of the fleet of aircraft operated by a flying club at the airport.

Corona, CA Plane Crash (Follow-up): "Brandon Never Saw It Coming"

Corona, CA: If you watch national news, you likely heard about a fatal plane crash that occurred on January 20, in Corona, California, but it is entirely possible that you have since forgotten about the accident. After all, plane crashes are reported in the news fairly frequently. However, Brenda J. will never forget the accident—her 24-year-old son was one of the five people who died in that plane crash.

Brenda says that her son, Brandon, had always wanted to be a pilot. "I'm a teacher, so I get to hear children talk about what they want to be when they grow up," Brenda says. "It changes on a daily basis—but not with Brandon. He took his first plane ride when he was two years old and from that moment, all he wanted was to be a pilot. We used to take him to the airport on weekends to watch planes takeoff and land. We had to wait for him to fall asleep before we could leave the airports because he just wanted to stay there and watch the planes. All he wanted to do was be a pilot."

In 2007, after being laid off from his sales job, Brandon liquidated his assets and started flying lessons. Three weeks after he started his lessons, he earned his private pilot's license. He then took time off for the holidays before enrolling in commercial pilot school. On January 20, 2008—the day he died—Brandon earned his commercial pilot certification.

Brandon was offered a job that same day, but was then told that he was lacking flight time. He had only a little over 100 hours and needed a minimum of 250 flight hours. So, Brandon and another student chartered a plane to fly across the country and accumulate hours. They took off from Corona's municipal airport.

"Two minutes after they took off, the pilot of another plane had a medical condition—a stroke or heart attack or something—and he slumped over," Brenda says. "That plane went into an assent and crashed into Brandon's plane from beneath and behind. Brandon never saw it coming. The crash killed both pilots, both passengers and a man on the ground who was working [he was hit by debris from the plane crash].

"What really upset me is that immediately after the crash, every newspaper assumed the crash was caused by Brandon because he was young and new. They argued that the regulations should be changed so that it's not so easy to get a license. But, the investigation showed that it was the pilot of the other plane who caused the crash. He was in his 70s and had 50 years of flying.

"There is no control tower at the airport in Corona. Some of the deaths in the area [according to the Los Angeles Times, 16 deaths approximately ten years, including this plane crash] could have been prevented if there was a tower, but no one has done anything about it. They say that they can't afford a tower, but how many people have to die before they put one up? My baby had to die because it wasn't cost effective to make the airport safe. That doesn't make sense to me.

"I want everyone to know what an incredible young man he was. He was a wonderful person and he was a good pilot. He didn't take those five lives. I know he died happy—he didn't see it coming. He was on cloud nine and his adrenaline was pumping and he was smiling. I'm grateful for that.

"I hope his life will not have been for nothing. And, though I don't see how, I hope that something good will come from his death. Maybe Corona will get a tower at the airport. I don't want even one more mother to have to go through what I'm going through."

Bob's Airport Cafe- Corona Airport

Step back in time at this great lunch spot located at the Corona, CA airport (AJO). From the aircraft memorabilia on the walls (including the obligatory Blue Angels autographed photo and the tail rotor from a UH-1 helicopter) to the clientèle, this hideaway drips with the nostalgia of hundreds of similar small town airport gathering places that are now long gone.

The waitresses call most patrons by name and know what they like to eat. The service is quick and the food is tasty. I had a friend who traveled the US for business nearly 100% of the time. He told me that his secret for good food in a unfamiliar city was finding that "hole in the wall" place in each town that the locals know. These places, he said, eschew fancy trappings for great food and hospitality. Bob's Airport Cafe is such a place.

The purpose of the trip was to have my plane's bi-annual pitot-static certification at Ross Aviation. Gil Ross does a very thorough job and the price is reasonable, about half of what a large airport avionics shop would charge. Gil loaned me the golf cart and off I went to the Cafe. An added surprise, while savoring my Ortega Beef sandwich with fries, was open access to the Internet courtesy of "Fly Corona" FBO next door. Not sure if they know their signal is accessible in the Cafe, but I, for one, would like to express my appreciation.