Truck Smashes Hangared Aircraft

Two California Dept. of Fish and Game aircraft were destroyed early Saturday when they were rammed by a runaway pickup. The aircraft (which we can’t identify from the picture) were in a hangar at Hemet-Ryan Field in Southern California when the pickup came through the back wall and stacked them up against the hangar door. Before hitting the hangar, the truck sheared off a fire hydrant and went through a wrought iron fence. The mishap occurred at about 2:30 a.m. and the driver was nowhere to be found when emergency personnel arrived.

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Two California Dept. of Fish and Game aircraft were destroyed early Saturday when they were rammed by a runaway pickup. The aircraft (which we can't identify from the picture) were in a hangar at Hemet-Ryan Field in Southern California when the pickup came through the back wall and stacked them up against the hangar door. Before hitting the hangar, the truck sheared off a fire hydrant and went through a wrought iron fence. The mishap occurred at about 2:30 a.m. and the driver was nowhere to be found when emergency personnel arrived.

One report estimated the value of the aircraft, one of which was a high-wing twin, at about $1 million. They were used for tracking wildlife. At our deadline it wasn't known if the driver was hurt. Firefighters mopped up some spilled fuel at the scene.