License revoked after plane crash

The Federal Aviation Administration has revoked the license of a pilot who crashed a plane into traffic outside the North Las Vegas Airport in October.

The agency found that Koshi Ono’s application for a medical certificate was denied a week before the ill-fated Oct. 30 flight. Pilots must possess a pilot’s license and a medical certificate to be authorized to fly.

Because he flew without the certificate, officials this week deemed the act “reckless” and revoked his license. Officials would not release the reason why the medical certificate was denied.

The plane, a Dragonfly Mark II experimental aircraft, was owned by a student pilot. The student was in the passenger’s seat and Ono, a certified flight instructor, was flying the aircraft when it departed the North Las Vegas Airport.

The plane struck a runway light before becoming airborne. It made a right turn and descended into traffic on Rancho Drive, striking the roof of a passing Chevrolet Tahoe and skidding across six lanes of traffic before stopping.

Ono suffered serious injuries in the crash. The student had minor injuries. Nobody else was injured.

FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said the agency took more than two months to revoke the pilot’s license because it had to follow the pilot’s due process rights.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are still investigating accident.

Contact reporter Lawrence Mower at lmower@reviewjournal.com or 702-383-0440.