US pilot in China aircraft crash lacked permission to fly

An investigation revealed that a light aircraft that crashed in east China on Sunday with an American pilot and Chinese passenger on board was flying without permission, local authorities said Friday.

The crash happened at 12:19 p.m. on May 3 in Suixi County of Huaibei City in Anhui Province. The aircraft, flying from Anhui to Henan province, crashed within minutes after taking off at noon and caught fire, killing an American pilot and a Chinese passenger.

Local police confirmed that the U.S. pilot was named Reid Jason Michael. Michael was an employee of George Heintz Aircraft Manufacturing Co. in Henan Province and the owner of the aircraft. The Chinese passenger was from Guilin City in south China's Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region.

According to Tang Yi, vice head of the Anhui supervision bureau of the Civil Aviation Administration of China (CAAC), the aircraft lacked the required certificate, the pilot's license did not meet qualifications, and the flight was made without permission.

Tang said that because the aircraft was not equipped with a flight recorder and all people on board were killed, it is difficult to determine the exact cause of the crash.