A Gwinnett County pilot and musician known for flying a plane covered in hundreds of LED lights died in a plane crash in China, according to a local news report.
Elgin Wells Jr., 68, was performing a training run in Zhengzhou, China, on April 25 when his one-of-a-kind "Starjammer" fell from 100 meters above the Shangjie Airport runway, according to Xinhua News Agency.
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Wells, a Peachtree Corners resident, was in China for the Zhengzhou Air Show, which is scheduled to begin Friday, April 27. Wells performed aerobatic stunts and routines in the Starjammer, which was outfitted for entertainment.
Wells had been flying the Starjammer since 2010. The custom aircraft featured 255 lights and a 4,000-watt sound system, both of which played performance sequences that Wells programmed himself. Wells’ last Facebook post shows the Starjammer being shipped to China on March 10.
Wells, a regular at the Gwinnett County Airport in Lawrenceville, followed his father into aviation. Elgin Wells Sr., who died in 2007, was a pilot in World War II before becoming a commercial pilot for Delta, according to his obituary.
The younger Wells was also a professional jazz musician, helming the Elgin Wells Group. He sang and performed multiple instruments, including the trumpet, flute and violin, according to his website. The group performed in metro Atlanta regularly; the last advertised performance was in Duluth in October 2017.
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