The Daily Caller

The Daily Caller
 Solar Impulse's Chief Executive Officer and pilot Andre Borschberg fly in the solar-powered HB-SIA prototype airplane after its first night flight attempt near Payerne airport, Switzerland, as the sun rise, Thursday, July 8, 2010 . An experimental solar-powered plane has landed safely after completing its first 24-hour test flight. The record feat brings it one step closer to the makers' ultimate aim of circling the globe using only energy from the sun.(AP Photo/Keystone/Fabrice Coffrini/Pool)  

Plane crashes after dropping toilet paper on Republican event

MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) — Idaho authorities say the pilot of an airplane flying over a Republican Party gathering had been dropping rolls of toilet paper before it crashed.

The Federal Aviation Administration says early indications are that the experimental airplane stalled or reached a speed and angle at which it lost its lift.

The crash Saturday afternoon killed the pilot, 60-year-old Randy Humble, of Moscow, Idaho.

Witnesses say the airplane’s engine revved and the pilot appeared to be trying to pull up just before it crashed near Viola, Idaho.

Humble and another pilot had been performing aerial tricks for the GOP fundraising event. Humble was also dropping rolls of toilet paper, but it’s not clear why.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating with the help of the FAA.