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Man Killed in Plane Crash Identified

Charles Ross was pronounced dead at 7:42 p.m. Saturday, after his aircraft went down at Whitewater Canyon, about one mile north of the 10 Freeway, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.

Sheriff's deputies from the Cabazon station were investigating the death of a man killed when his small, experimental plane crashed Saturday.

Charles Ross, of Lakeview, was pronounced dead at 7:42 p.m. after his aircraft went down at Whitewater Canyon, about one mile north of the 10 Freeway, according to the Riverside County Coroner’s Office.

"Witnesses reported seeing an ultra-light type aircraft flying through the canyon and begin to have problems," Riverside County sheriff's Sgt. Wilson Padilla stated in a news release.

"They stated after swaying from side to side, the parachute on the aircraft deployed but the ultra-light crashed approximately one mile north of the freeway and west of Whitewater Canyon Road," Padilla wrote.

Witnesses helped the pilot out of the plane and called emergency crews.

Sheriff’s deputies from the Cabazon station were investigating the crash, officials said.

The ultralight aircraft went down near the Whitewater Fishing Preserve, Padilla stated.

Flyin Bryan May 13, 2012 at 08:23 pm
Rest in peace Chuck..Say HI to Bob Armond
Bruce P Noll May 13, 2012 at 10:08 pm
Chuck,
You will be missed my friend.........rest in peace and keep flying in heaven.
Badangel May 14, 2012 at 12:25 am
A sad day for all of us who knew him... A great person...It's been a privlage....Carlos & Holly.
Patti Poole May 14, 2012 at 02:34 am
Thank you for the wonderful comments. He was my cousin and will be so missed.
jim hart May 14, 2012 at 11:12 am
Chuck I am going to miss you so much, I can't thank you enough for all your guidance throughout the years and all the laughs we had, all the flights you gave my friends. You were & still are a legacy in all our hearts and whoever is responsible for using that picture in this article please remove it and use something that's more fitting for Chuck. That's not even close to what he has flown and would ever fly
STEVEN YOUNG May 14, 2012 at 12:27 pm
I will miss you my friend. God be with you. Capt. Steve Young.
Tiffine May 14, 2012 at 02:20 pm
It was more then an honor to have known and flown with you! Rest in peace Chuck!
Darrel Wood May 14, 2012 at 03:02 pm
From all the people at Soboba Soaring...We will miss Chuck very much. He was always at our special events, giving the thrill of flying to the many senior citizens that live near by. He will always be in our hearts and mind.
ed ford May 14, 2012 at 04:22 pm
Rest in peace Chuck,
You were a good friend and instructor. Ed Ford
kevin rose May 14, 2012 at 04:27 pm
Rip bro
Cal Christensen May 14, 2012 at 04:39 pm
Just met Chuck one week ago went for my first ultralight ride at soboba.. He was a very nice guy.. wish I could have known him longer.. Rip..
Neil Whelchel May 15, 2012 at 03:41 am
I have had the privilege of having Chuck as my best friend for over 15 years, no words can describe the loss that the entire ultralight community has suffered. We will all miss him. He told me that he wanted to be sure that everyone knew that if he were to be killed while flying, that he died doing what he wanted to do.
Denney Marsh May 15, 2012 at 05:25 pm
"For once you have tasted Flight
You will walk the earth With your eyes turned skyward For there you have been and There you will return" ...Leonardo Da Vinci RIP Chuck--Denney Marsh, Hemet Ryan Flight School
Rene Rodriguez May 16, 2012 at 12:41 am
We are the ones that witnessed everything and helped him get out of the plane. We saw everything that happened from when he was flying normal till he starting spinning out and the flare and chute came out. We drove toward him as fast as we could when we saw him crash i know he tried to speak couldn't understand him then the dam ambulance took forever we never met him. Rest in peach Charles Ross
Bill Steburg May 16, 2012 at 05:17 pm
RIP Chuck you were a special person and friend.
Bill Steburg
Michael Huhn May 17, 2012 at 12:04 pm
Rene Rodriguez - I am the NTSB investigator assigned to this accident. I need to speak with you regarding your observations . Can you please contact me (Michael Huhn) through the NTSB switchboard (202 314 6000) at your convenience? Thank you.
Nikki May 19, 2012 at 01:51 am
Chuck, I am so sad right now. I was counting on seeing you @ Chuckfest when we were all 80 yrs old. And now you've went and ruined that plan. Well I am so glad I got to see you last year and spend time with you (and Mary!) I know the two of you are up there, having a toast and laughing at us still-earthbound fools. Love you Sir! You were one of the great ones. I will miss you.
nik lukas May 20, 2012 at 07:30 pm
I miss my friend terribly. It just doesn't go away. Need to figure out why this happened. Learn from it. Keep it from happening again. Chuck would want that. If anyone else was a witness or has ANY information at all even if it seems unimportant, please contact Neil Whelchel at 702-883-9622 or myself at 760 220 8044.
Mr. Nik.
Jay H. May 21, 2012 at 07:58 pm
Chuck, no words can describe how much you have meant to me and all the ones that had the pleasure of knowing you! We will miss all the excitement and joy you have brought to our lives. Flying will never be the same without you my friend.
Jay
nik lukas June 23, 2012 at 03:26 am
Rene, Chuck was a very dear friend of mine, he taught me to fly ultralights. We are trying to figure out why he crashed so we can prevent it from happening to any one else. Please call me so we can talk about what happened. It is so important and could save someones life someday. I am not with the n.t.s.b. Just a small group of Chucks friends that also fly and want to know what caused him to crash. Please call me any time whenever you get this message it doesn't matter how long it has been... Please, thank you so much Rene, my number is 760 220 8044 and my name is Nik Lukaris. Take care.

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Lloyd White June 17, 2013 at 10:41 am
I find it interesting the RG was all over the State of the City luncheon but not interested inRead More printing the questions and issues raised by the Mayor's unsubstantiated claims. We should stop paying any attention to the RG if they aren't interested in what's really happening in Beaumont. I don't subscribe to the RG but it is still delivered to my house every week. Does anyone know how to stop the delivery? I could just pick it up each week and throw it in the trash but then their circulation won't be accurately represented to their advertisers. I'm going to start asking local business to stop advertising in the RG.
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Have you tried calling them and asking them to not throw trash in your driveway each Friday.
Tracy Salinas June 18, 2013 at 11:17 am
@Get Mobiled - NO animal should be LEFT or DUMPED anywhere...AGAIN...the owner's lack ofRead More responsibilty and accountability. Yes, times are tough. No, I do not know the exact circumstances. But this horse was FIRSt - let loose on the streets, SECOND - caught and tied to the front of the feed store. Why is the horse THEIR problem? Why is he now MY problem? BECAUSE, my son (an employee of the feed store) believes is RESPONSIBILITY and ACCOUNTABILITY, as do I and his father. We took this horse in, not because we needed it (or wanted it) but because it was the RIGHT THING TO DO. THE WRONG THING TO DO was to let it loose in the first place - there are other avenues which could have been taken.
Tracy Salinas June 18, 2013 at 11:25 am
UPDATE on CV (nickname)...a tumor protruding from his right eye was removed yesterday - he now canRead More close the eye completely which, coupled with a fly mask, will keep the flies from laying eggs in his eye (a very nasty thing indeed). He has settled in with a gentle geriatric horse for a companion and is eating well (his weight was not an issue before - he obviously was fed decently). His club hoof causes him quite a lot of discomfort, but he manages to hobble around. A visit from the farrier is nextin line, to see if his discomfort can be aleviated. I don't believe he will ever be a riding horse, but he casts a nice shadow and is gentle and kind to be around. There is a peacefulness that eminates from his very being...
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Aubreey we Love You!!!
Gina Tenorio (Editor) June 13, 2013 at 02:55 pm
Beautiful! Now this is great news! Thank you both so much for sharing the news of your blessing withRead More the rest of us.
Renee Schiavone (Editor) June 18, 2013 at 02:41 pm
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Kathleen Mccrary June 10, 2013 at 03:50 pm
THIS ADD WAS WRITTEN WRONG SORRY.LOL THE ONE ABOVE IT IS THE CORRECT ADD.
Courtesy of the U.S. Forest Service.
Renee Schiavone (Editor) June 10, 2013 at 10:59 am
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Ben June 11, 2013 at 02:04 pm
Niki- yes the plans have been updated to allow Banning and Yucaipa to share in the use of the newRead More ponds. It is an inter-agency plan that is beneficial to everyone. Why you consider having other entities share this project, which bonds us all together: they are paying to help build the new area so we, as ratepayers aren't hit with the whole bill, and we are going to finally get some recycled water into use from Yucaipa, Banning gets new wells, and no matter what- we have ultimate control over the use at all times- how that is a horror story I can't figure out. These plans were in the works for years, it was no secret. Its now being finalized by the board- as the details are now ironed out. The only horror story I see happening is how Beaumont refuses to make an agreement with the district to utilize their recycled water- and its not all the water district's fault like you think. Beaumont can't build unless they find some new sources of water. One of the reasons they pulled out is once they update their wastewater facility- they don't plan on wasting that recycled water just on landscaping . They are going to dump it into the basin itself for the water credit. Beaumont residents have no clue that their drinking water will eventually be more wastewater than water coming down the mountain. Sorry- but I think Fraser is doing a great job. If he hadn't got in there, the district would belong to Beaumont, who would take all the water they want regardless of impact studies, and siphon off all the money for their own uses. Guess you missed their lawsuit in the courts- the courts laughed them out. Beaumont is broke. The water district is financially sound.
Niki Magee June 13, 2013 at 01:54 pm
Ben, it is unfortunate you are the victim of such serious misinformation. I thought I knew everyoneRead More at last night's BCVWD meeting. Who were you?
Claire Frémont June 15, 2013 at 09:59 am
I'm curious, Niki, what misinformation are you speaking of concerning Ben's comment? He appears toRead More be stating information that I've read about also. Beaumont did sue to try and take over the water district, they did get a cease and desist order to stop dumping their wastewater into the aquifer, and have pulled out of all negotiations with the district to supply them with recycled water. The district has made the arrangements instead with Yucaipa to take their water, with the hopes that someday Beaumont will come around. All these things are in agendas and downloads available to the public, which part are you disputing?