Two men die in light airlane crash in Taitung

The RANS-S6 airplane fell straight out of the sky at around 9: 00 a.m. striking the ground nose first. It was flying over a farmer's field when it suddenly lost power, according to witnesses.

The pilot and passenger were seriously wounded when pulled from the wreckage. They died later at the Tzu Chi Hospital's Kuanshan branch.

Local police indicated that the light craft was owned by a private aviation association in Fenglin township in Hualien county, eastern Taiwan. The pilot, identified as Chen Chun-jung, 34, had flown light craft for over seven years.

The passenger, Jon Eric Hope, 21, from Arkansas, USA was a member of an English teaching program organized by the Taipei-based non-profit King Car Educational Foundation, bringing English language instruction to children living in rural areas on the island. Eric taught English at Jueisuei Elementary School in Hualien county.

The police said Eric was on a sightseeing tour in Taitung with some friends. There, he spotted the light craft, and requested a pleasure flight.

Police have contacted both Eric's parents in the U.S. with the assistance of the American Institute in Taiwan, and Chen's family members in Hualien.

A probe by the Civil Aeronautics Administration has been launched into the accident, according to police.

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