A Frontier Airlines pilot died early today when the private, single-engine plane he was flying sputtered and crashed into a power pole in West Carrollton, Ohio, authorities say.
Leonard Notek, 37, of Castle Rock was killed in the crash that occurred at about 10:35 a.m., just after he took off in a 1966 Helton Lark 95 from Dayton’s Moraine Airpark, according to a spokesman for the Ohio Highway Patrol.
Witnesses said the aircraft started sputtering shortly after takeoff.
Notek’s girlfriend, Nikki Romero, a passenger in the plane, was taken by helicopter to Miami Valley Hospital, said Notek’s mother, Linda, of Beavercreek, Ohio.
Notek started flying for Frontier Airlines about a year ago, Linda Notek said.
She said her son, who also was a flight instructor, was a very conscientious pilot who always did thorough safety checks before each flight.
She said her son was flying the plane to Reno for a friend.
“Lenny was a damned good pilot,” she said. “I believe he did everything he could.”
Linda Notek said her son began learning to fly when he was 14 and earned his commercial pilot’s license in the early 1990s in Greeley.
“He absolutely loved it,” Linda Notek said. “He was just always happy and cheerful and always had a twinkle in his eye.”
Kirk Mitchell: 303-954-1206 or kmitchell@denverpost.com
