Tehachapi News

Tehachapi assistant city manager killed in plane crash

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Tehachapi Assistant City Manager Dave Zweigle and a passenger died July 4 when Zweigle's Czech L29 Delfin military jet trainer ran into trouble at 1:30 p.m. and crashed onto Old Town Road.

The aircraft was one of three Czech trainers performing flyovers during 4th of July festivities in Tehachapi.

City Manager Greg Garrett confirmed that Zweigle was one of the fatalities.

The identity of the passenger has not been released officially. The Kern County Coroner's Office was awaiting dental records on Monday to complete the identification.

The aircraft narrowly missed houses on either side of the road, leaving a debris trail several hundred yards long on the asphalt road.

The Kern County Fire Department sprayed foam on the wreckage to neutralize the jet fuel.

The crash was in the 20700 block of Old Town Road in Golden Hills, about four miles west of the Tehachapi Airport.

Lt. J.R. Rodriguez of the Kern County Sheriffs Office said the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash.

While no homes were damaged, the fire spread several hundred yards around the wreckage, Rodriguez said.

The Sheriffs Office set up a perimeter to secure the area “to make sure we don't have people interfering with the scene, trying to pick up souvenirs,” he said.

Rodriguez described the aircraft as “an older military-style aircraft.”

Old Town Road resident Jeannette Crounse saw the accident happen.

“We were sitting out on the deck,” Crounse said. “We heard them flying over. I said, 'I need to check this out.' It was just in time to watch them go down in the road. I was stunned.

“It went right straight down,” she said. “We saw it hit. There was a huge billow of black cloud right in the middle of the road.”

Crounse said the impact sounded like a sonic boom.

She said that neighbors used shovels and hoses to keep flames from spreading, and the fire department arrived within five minutes.

When the one airplane crashed, the other two aircraft in the formation circled around twice.

“It went straight down. That was the only way it avoided hitting somebody's house, said Crounse's brother, Douglas Reddinger.

Zweigle had been refurbishing the 1960s-era Czech trainer for several years and was in the process of finalizing the aircraft's annual inspection. Zweigle took off several times from the airport for the July 4 flyovers.

Tehachapi City Councilman Stan Beckham spoke admiringly of Zweigle:

“Dave was a wonderful family man whose family always came first. He was smart, talented and well rounded man who could work with anyone at any level of life,” 

Today is a sad day. Dave was a hero and I, along with many other will miss him terribly. This was a great loss for the city of Tehachapi and my heart goes out to Dave's wife and children; his mother and grandmother who were here visiting and whom I met on July 2.”

TEHACHAPI MAYOR WAS IN ACCOMPANYING PLANE

Tehachapi Mayor Linda Vernon was flying as a passenger in one of the other L59s when Zweigle's aircraft went down.

"I didn't realize what had taken place until I got back to the airport," Vernon said. "I couldn't hear a lot of what was going on, with the helmet on."

When she exited the plane on landing and learned what had happened, "I was shocked," she said.

They had been in the air about half an hour, she said.

Vernon was on the original panel that interviewed Zweigle for the job of airport manager six years ago. She said he made an immediate impression.

"When Dave walked into a room he would light up the room. He had a great personality, a great smile, a terrific sense of humor.

"It breaks my heart. He'll be terribly missed."

Vernon said Zweigle never had a bad word to say about anybody.

"He was positive, upbeat and smart. He's brought our airport miles in the last several years to be an important part of our community. He was a great advocate for the city and a hard worker." 

FAA INVESTIGATION

By mid-July 5, the crash site was cleared and the parts of the airplane had been hauled away to another location where the investigation will take place.

Terrence M. McMaster, aviation safety inspector for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the aircraft will be taken to a large hanger in Los Angeles, Chino or San Diego, where the parts will be put together.

It could take a year for the report to be finalized, McMaster said.

RELEASE FROM THE CITY OF TEHACHAPI

TEHACHAPI, CA - On a day typically reserved for joyous celebrations of our nation’s proud heritage and independence, the City of Tehachapi mourns the great loss of two men.  During a July 4th flight, an L-29 Delfin airplane carrying City of Tehachapi Assistant City Manager, David Zweigle and a second passenger crashed near Old Town Rd in Tehachapi.  The Kern County Sheriff’s Department has secured the crash site and the Kern County Fire Department has controlled the resulting fire and their speed and professionalism have been greatly appreciated. 

Dave, a father, friend and colleague had a great love for aviation that led him to fly commercially early in his career.  Following his private sector experience Dave began work at the City of Tehachapi as the City’s airport manager and in a short period of time developed the airport into a general aviation jewel in the mountains.  His affable nature and constant smile were evidence of his strong character and personal beliefs.  Much like other great individuals, Dave touched the lives of everyone he came in contact with and was more than a great asset to the Tehachapi community; he was a shining example of integrity and charity.  “He will be greatly missed and our hearts and deepest sympathies go out to his family” said City Manager, Greg Garrett.  Dave leaves behind a wife and two children in the Bear Valley area.
 

REPORTED EARLIER

By Nick Smirnoff

The 4th of July Holiday was marred by tragedy when one of three jet planes flying above the city of Tehachapi unexpectedly crashed about 4 miles southwest of the runway. While it is still under investigation, the jet plane appears to have been an L-29 trainer of Czech origin.

There were two people aboard, neither of whome survived. The plane avoided nearby homes by trying to land on a public road known as Old Town Road in the southwest Golden Hills area.

Nearby residents grabbed shovels and hoses to put out several grass fires caused by jet fuel splash and flaming embers from the plane’s impact. FAA officials are in route from Southern California.