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Famous Red Bull Pilot Killed in Apple Valley Plane Crash

Victor Valley News December 6, 2015 

APPLE VALLEY - The pilot killed in the Apple Valley plane crash has been identified as 60-year-old Mike Mangold, a world-famous aerobatics champion for Red Bull who was a resident of Victorville.

The crash occurred on Sunday, December 6, 2015 at about 2:20 P.M., according to the Apple Valley Fire Protection District the aircraft is described as an L39 Jet. Witnesses say, that the small plane was attempting to take off from the airport located at 21600 Corwin Road.

Mangold was born in Cincinnati, Ohio, on October 10th 1955 and is the oldest of three children. He moved to California at 3 years old and then to Pennsylvania for his high school years.

Mangold previously performed shows at the Apple Valley Airshow in his L39 Jet that crashed today. He was also a Boeing 757 and 767 commercial pilot for American Airlines.

He is survived by his wife Julie, and his two children Nick and Melissa.

No information on the identity of the second passenger killed in the crash has been released.

The FAA is en route to the crash scene and the Apple Valley airport will remain closed for at least 24 hours. The cause of the crash is currently under investigation.

More information will be updated as it becomes available.

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Biography:

Mike’s first aviation passion was skydiving, which led him to flying in 1977. He traded parachute repacks for flight time in a Super Cub at Littleton, CO. After graduating from the Air Force Academy in 1978, he went on to fly F-4 Phantoms for 10 years, accumulating over 2500 hours including one successful high speed ejection. His missions ranged from Nuclear Weapons Delivery to Air Superiority to Wild Weasel at bases in South Korea, the Philippines, Japan, Thailand, and Egypt. Mike has flown all models of the F-4 and was the Outstanding Graduate of the Air Force’s “Top Gun” Fighter Weapons School in 1983.

Leaving active military duty in 1989, Mike began his airline career, first with USAir then American Airlines in 1991. He has over 11,000 airliner hours flying the B-727, MD-80, BAE-146, and presently, the B-767, based in LAX. In 1990 Mike started flying Airshows and competition aerobatics in a Super Decathlon.

He has worked his way to the Top flying a Pitts S-1, S-2, Extra 300, Sukhoi-26, and now the Edge 540. Mike has more Red Bull Air Race podium finishes and race wins than any other pilot; he was the 2004, 05 & 07 World Champion. He has won Gold, Sliver, and Bronze at the US National Aerobatic Championships. In 2002 Mike received the “L. Paul Soucy Award” for the highest scoring unlimited aerobatic pilot for the year. Mike was a member of the US Unlimited Aerobatic Team from 2000-04 and a 5 time California Unlimited Aerobatic Champion. His precise and spectacular flying has amazed millions at numerous Airshows around the globe. Mike has over 5000 skydives and is a National Champion in Accuracy and Para-Skiing. He was a US Parachute Team member from 1981-85 and a participant in the World Record Largest Formation Skydive of 300 jumpers over Anapa, Russia in 1996.

Mike shares extreme aviation hobbies with his wife, Julie, a 4-time member of the US Unlimited Aerobatic Team. They meet while skydiving and started pursuing Sport Aerobatics together on a date. Julie is also a Boeing 767 Pilot with United Airlines and is the Army’s first Female Helicopter Test Pilot. They have two children with lots of aviation in their genes.

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Outstanding Graduate of the Air Force’s “Top Gun” Fighter Weapons School in 1983.

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