Pilot Was Testing Plane

San Andreas, CA — There is some new information regarding the plane crash that occurred back on November 23rd near the San Andreas Airport.

The pilot, 68-year-old Russell Hackler of Danville, was tragically killed while piloting the small single-engine amphibious plane.

“From the reports we received, he was in the area conducting some test flights on an airplane that he had built,” says Sgt. Chris Hewitt of the Calaveras County Sheriff’s Office. “He was on the third test run that day, and that’s when the structure of the airplane had failed. From what we know right now, that is what caused the crash.”

The plane went into a spiral shortly before crashing ¾ mile from the airport. The FAA and NTSB are continuing their investigation into the details. Hackler was a well-known Veterinarian in the Bay Area.