Plane crash’s victims were elderly couple

Retired couple had moved to Las Vegas a decade ago

Saturday, Aug. 23, 2008 | 9:44 a.m.

N. Las Vegas Plane Crash

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An experimental plane crashed into a home Friday morning in North Las Vegas, killing the pilot and two people on the ground.

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A couple who retired to Las Vegas a decade ago, Jack and Lucy Costa, were the victims who perished in the fiery crash of an experimental aircraft that plunged into their home shortly after takeoff Friday morning from North Las Vegas Airport.

Jack, 80, and Lucy, 77, came to Las Vegas after Jack retired from the Stella D'oro Biscuit Company in New York. Lucy Costa was a homemaker.

Mike L. Killgore owned the Velocity 137 RG aircraft that plunged through the roof of the Costa home at 2313 Langdon Way about 6:28 a.m. Friday, Federal Aviation Administration records indicate. However, Killgore was not at the controls of the aircraft at the time of the crash. The name of the pilot died in the crash has not been released yet.

FAA regulations normally require 25 to 40 hours of test flights over rural, sparsely populated areas, said Ian Gregor, an FAA spokesman.

Records for the Velocity indicate that it had had five hours of flying from Boulder City and Jean airports. Friday's flight was its first from the North Las Vegas Airport, ranked second busiest in Nevada behind McCarran International Airport, FAA records show.

The Velocity involved in the crash had been certified to fly in 2002, Gregor said. FAA regulations require annual inspections after certification, just like airplanes manufactured in a certified factory, Gregor said.