Aaron Hogue was the managing owner of the family business, Hogue Inc., which sells gun accessories and knives.
“We can confirm that during the jet gold race in the third round there was a fatal incident in outer pillar 5 today. An investigation will be conducted by the NTSB (National Transportation Safety Board) and FAA (Federal Aviation Administration),” the Reno Air Racing Association tweeted.
A YouTube video of the jet gold race shows Hogg and another pilot flying neck and neck, but on the third lap, something goes wrong, Hogg’s plane goes off course and crashes into the ground.
Hogue was flying an L-29 Super Defin at the time of the crash, according to Flying Magazine. He was named the 2021 Reno Air Races Rookie of the Year.
“While we cannot change this tragedy, I would ask everyone to think, pray and honor Aaron for his passion for life and certainly his passion for air racing,” said Fred Telling, CEO and president of the Reno Air Racing Association. press conference, according to the Reno Gazette Journal.
Telling said Hogg’s family was at the race and witnessed the crash, according to the Gazette Journal.
Pilot Aaron Hogue dies after his plane crashes and bursts into flames during the championship round of the Reno Air Races. The crash happened on lap 3 of 6 during the Jet Gold Race. pic.twitter.com/oLyO8HdNd4
— Shahryar Sultan (@Shahryar_Sultan) September 19, 2022
Hogue has been flying since he was 16 and received his pilot’s license in 1987, according to his resume at Racing Jets Inc.
The jet that crashed was one of five that make up what Hogue’s company called the Hogue Air Force, according to its website.
“Hogue Air Force is a byproduct of the company’s decades of success, a team comprised of the four partners of Hogue Inc. — Aaron Hogue, Patrick Hogue, Neil Hogue and Jim Bruhns,” the site says. “They are all private pilots and use the following series of aircraft for advertising, management and travel.”
The Czechoslovak-built converted aircraft, named the Ballista, holds the record at the Reno Air Races for the fastest lap speed over 540 mph, according to the Hogue Air Force website.
Hogue is the second San Luis Obispo County air racing pilot to die in a plane crash this month.
Veteran pilot Sherman Smoot has died after his plane crashed in Kern County during a coordination flight for this year’s Reno Air Races.
This is a developing story and will be updated.
This story was originally published September 19, 2022 12:04 pm.
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Sara Kassabian is a reporter at The San Luis Obispo Tribune, covering North County news and health. Sara is from the East Bay area and studied journalism at the University of Colorado Boulder. She received a master’s degree in global health from UC San Francisco and has previously worked in health, science and technology communications. Follow Sarah on Twitter @sarakassabian.
