Car speed record holder dies in plane crash

Published 10:56 pm Thursday, August 14, 2008

RICHLAND — Police say an experimental aircraft crashed just after takeoff from the Richland airport, killing the pilot.

Police Capt. Mike Cobb said 72-year-old Charles Bigelow was the only person aboard when the plane went down Thursday afternoon.

Witnesses said the plane had reached an altitude of about 250 feet when the engine began to sputter and the aircraft crashed to the runway.

The Tri-City Herald reported that Bigelow reached 257 mph in a Shelby Ultimate Aero Car during a land speed run in 2007, setting a Guinness World Records standard for production cars.