Pilot Had Been Involved In A Previous Incident

The pilot of a motorized hang glider operating out of the Buckeye (AZ) Municipal Airport (KBXK) west of Phoenix was fatally injured when the aircraft went down shortly after takeoff Tuesday.

The pilot was identified as 55-year-old James George II of West Fargo, ND. The accident occurred shortly before 1400 local time, and the aircraft belonged to a Buckeye resident according to authorities. No other details about the accident were immediately available.

The online news site Inforum reports that George had been involved in a previous accident in February 2005. In that incident, the plane he was piloting went down in a residential neighborhood of Fargo, ND, where he lived. George and his passenger were both seriously injured when the engine on the airplane seized shortly after takeoff from Hector International Airport. That accident was traced to an oil filter that was improperly installed by a mechanic, according to the report.

Friends said that George had become a "pretty cautions" pilot after that accident.

FMI: www.ntsb.gov