Pilot, passenger identified in fatal Boulder City jet crash

The pilot of an Aero Vodochody L39 that crashed after takeoff from the Boulder City airport Friday afternoon has been identified as Douglas E. Gilliss, 65, of Solano Beach, Calif., according to the Clark County coroner's office.

The passenger who also was killed in the accident was identified as Richard A. Winslow, 65, of Palm Desert, Calif.

Gilliss was a newer member of the Red Steel Jet Team, a professional aircraft demonstration team. The team announced his death on its Facebook page early Saturday.

The post said Gilliss was on his way to Van Nuys, Calif., where he planned to catch a commercial flight to Kansas City, Mo. to "join his new aviation family." The team, which is based in Lancaster, Texas, said Gilliss was its lead pilot in its inaugural air show season.

Little is known about Winslow and his relationship to Gilliss.

Boulder City Police Chief Thomas Finn said a small group gathered at the airport and hopped aboard two planes, possibly both the Czech-crafted military-style L39s.

The two had taken off from Boulder City in the L39 jet when witnesses said the aircraft appeared to lose power. It crashed in the desert near power lines just west of the airport.

Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration were at the crash site Saturday.

The two-seat plane piloted by Gilliss was built in 1981 and owned by Walter Woltosz, a Palmdale, Calif., resident. Woltosz's business assistant, Renee Bouche, said Friday that the jet was in prime shape.

Finn said the aircraft does not glide well, however, and that if it loses an engine, there is little the pilot can do.

According to the Red Steel Jet Team website, Gilliss, a former captain in the Air Force, had plenty of experience flying the L39 aircraft. He had logged 400 hours and had taken more than 100 exams as a Federal Aviation Administration designated examiner.

It said he was an aviation law professor at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, Southern Illinois University and the University of Phoenix. He also served as an expert witness in FAA cases.

Gilliss, who has been flying for more than 30 years, has logged more than 5,800 hours in all sorts of military aircraft and luxury jets, according the Red Steel website.

The FAA revoked Gilliss' pilot's license in 2009 after a fatal crash during a Fourth of July aerial performance in Tehachapi, Calif., according to the Los Angeles Times. The FAA ruled that Gilliss violated federal regulations by flying his L-29 over densely populated residential areas at less than 1,000 feet, the Times reported.

During the performance by the Thunder Delfins, one plane fell out of formation and crashed onto a nearby road. The Times indicated that 42-year-old David Zweigle, who was killed in the accident, had not demonstrated his ability to fly the aircraft and Gilliss was the flight examiner at the time.

"Gilliss improperly carried a passenger and falsely claimed in the pilot's log that he had checked out Zweigle in the L-29 before the crash," the Times reported.

Contact reporter Adrienne Packer at apacker@reviewjournal.com or 702-387-2904.