FALLBROOK, Calif. — The passenger that was killed during a crash landing at a Fallbrook nursery has been identified.
Howard Henry Rose, 77, from Chino, California was the lone passenger when the single-engine, vintage military-style plane crashed at Altmans Plants Nursery on July 23.
Rose was pronounced dead at the scene due to blunt force injuries during the landing, according to the San Diego Medical Examiner.
The San Diego Medical Examiner said after takeoff the plane ascended approximately 50 feet in elevation prior to the engine stalling. The plane skipped on the ground multiple times before coming to a stop.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were sent investigators to the crash site, which was located less than a mile south of the county-owned Fallbrook Airpark.
A witness told the San Diego County Sheriff's Department they saw the two-seater plane crash shortly after takeoff from Fallbrook Airpark.
The pilot was taken to Palomar Hospital trauma center in critical condition.
There was no word on what caused the crash, which also damaged some of the nursery's products.
No injuries or fire were reported on the ground.
Anyone with photos or videos of the crash was asked to email them to witness@ntsb.gov.