MOSCOW, Idaho (AP) - Idaho authorities say a pilot flying over a Republican gathering had been dropping rolls of toilet paper or streamers from his airplane before it crashed.

The Federal Aviation Administration says early indications are the experimental aircraft stalled or reached a speed and angle at which it lost its lift. The pilot, 60-year-old Randy Humble, of Moscow, Idaho, died at the scene Saturday.

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 event. Latah County Sheriff's Lt. Brannon Jordan says Humble was dropping tissue or streamers from the plane as part of the aerial display.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating with FAA assistance.

(Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

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