COLUMBUS, Ind. (AP) _ A friend of an 81-year-old pilot whose plane crashed into an Indiana house says the pilot was on a test flight to ensure recent repairs had resolved some mechanical issues with the aircraft.
Tom Vickers says he spoke with pilot Gerald Clayton about the home-built plane several times and that Clayton planned flying it before putting the aircraft up for sale.
Vickers tells WISH-TV Clayton had problems with the plane in 2011 and had to find an FAA-certified mechanic to repair it. He says Clayton wanted to do the test flight before his certification expired at the end of July.
Clayton is in serious condition and passenger Dennis King is in fair condition at Wishard Memorial Hospital in Indianapolis a day after the crash in Columbus.
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