FAA revokes pilot’s license in crash near NLV airport

By Erin Dostal

Thursday, Jan. 14, 2010 | 6:31 p.m.

A California man is having his pilot's license revoked this week after crashing a small aircraft in October near the North Las Vegas Airport.

Koshi Ono is being handed an emergency order of revocation and must physically surrender his license. A revocation is the strongest action the FAA can take against a pilot, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said Thursday.

Pilots must carry both a pilot and medical certificate to fly. Ono didn't have an up-to-date medical license at the time of the Oct. 30 crash, Gregor said.

The home-built plane Ono was flying made a crash landing near Texas Station. The plane, which was owned by Yun Chieh Tang of Las Vegas, was a Dragonfly Mark II that had taken off from the North Las Vegas Airport.

Ono, whose age wasn't available Thursday, had intended to fly, then return to the airport, but the plane’s engine failed shortly after takeoff, according to the FAA.

Ono landed the small plane along a Rancho Drive sidewalk at about 4:50 p.m. that day. The plane hit a sport utility vehicle and broke the vehicle’s windshield.

Both Ono and a passenger in the plane were taken to University Medical Center with non-life-threatening injuries.

Gregor couldn't say why Ono's medical certificate was denied or whether a medical issue contributed to the crash. He said the crash investigation is what brought the certificate discrepancy to light.

The cause of the crash remains under investigation by FAA officials, Gregor said. Ono can appeal the ruling after surrendering his license.