Had Just Taken Delivery Of Plane

A Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department helicopter located the wreckage Tuesday morning of a RANS S-18 Stinger that went missing Monday night near Brian Ranch airport in Palmdale, CA.

The pilot and sole occupant onboard the plane, identified as 49-year-old Louis Nanos, was killed in the impact.

Jack Brian, the owner of Brian Ranch Airport, told the Antelope Valley Press that Nanos had just recently began flying his plane out of the small dirt-strip airport, which caters mostly to ultralight pilots.

"He was brand new. He had just been here a few weeks and had just taken delivery of the plane a few weeks ago," Brian said.

The wreckage was found about 100 yards from the airport, according to Lt. Don Ford with the sheriff's department. Ford said he was told Nanos took the plane out Monday evening to practice touch-and-goes.

Investigators haven't yet determined what brought the small airplane (file photo of type, below right) down.

**   Report created 5/17/2006   Record 1
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IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 24052        Make/Model: EXP       Description: RANS S-18
  Date: 05/16/2006     Time: 0000

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: PALMDALE   State: CA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
  FATALLY INJURED, ACFT WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN ALERT NOTICE, THE WRECKAGE WAS
  LOCATED 1/4 MILE FROM BRIAN AIRPORT, PALMDALE, CA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA

  Departed: PALMDALE, CA                Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: PALMDALE, CA             Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: VAN NUYS, CA  (WP01)                  Entry date: 05/17/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov