A small plane has crashed in a remote wooded area of Massachusetts – killing the well-known owner of a flight school, an instructor and a student pilot on board, officials said.
The twin-engine Beechcraft 55 Baron took off about 11 a.m. Sunday from Westfield-Barnes Regional Airport and crashed a short time later near Leyden, killing all three occupants, police said.
They are identified as Fredrika Ballard, 53, of Southwick, who owns Fly Lugu Aviation School; instructor William Hampton, 68, of Indian Orchard; and student pilot Chad Davidson, 29, of Woodstock, Connecticut.
Emergency workers who responded to a call from a dog walker in the Leyden Wildlife Management Area at about 12:30 p.m. found debris and the bodies of all three victims, Boston 25 reported.
Ballard, a second-generation pilot who began flying solo at age 16, is an active member of the International Organization of Women Pilots and Women in International Aviation.
Fredrika Ballard, owner of a Massachusetts flight school, was among three people killed in the plane crash. Fredrika Ballard / Facebook Fredrika Ballard has been flying solo since she was 16 years old. Fredrika Ballard / Facebook
She often flies the ill-fated six-seater to various destinations around the region, including to Martha’s Vineyard, with her husband, friends and sometimes her dog, Violet, MassLive reported.
In October, Ballard was among the Women of Impact for 2023, a title bestowed by BusinessWest, a business journal in which she detailed her flight experience.
He left his long career in healthcare in 2019 to launch Fly Lugu, where he was the sole instructor at first, according to MassLive.
The other two killed were flight instructor William Hampton, 68, and student pilot Chad Davidson, 29. CBS Boston
Last year, the flight school employed seven instructors including Ballard, who is also the operations manager at a maintenance shop at the airport, MassLive reported.
The school maintains a fleet of seven aircraft.
“Because of their aircraft operations and fuel purchases, their activities are part of the overall growth of the airport,” Barnes Airport manager Christopher Willenborg said last year, according to the outlet.
Student pilot Chad Davidson, 29, of Woodstock, Conn., was killed in the crash. Solairus Flight Instructor / Facebook Flight William Hampton, 68, was also killed in the crash. Lugu Flight Training / Facebook
“He is slowly increasing the number of aircraft based here. It’s about partnership and its activities are part of the overall system that helps develop this airport,” he said.
Ballard also owns AeroDesign Aircraft Services, a local aviation maintenance and restoration service she started in 2021 with her husband, Joseph Ballard, according to the report.
The Kiwanis Club of Westfield, a volunteer organization, mourned Ballard on its Facebook page.
“We are deeply saddened to learn of the sudden and tragic passing of our dear friend and fellow Kiwanian Fredrika Ballard on Sunday. Our hearts go out to her husband and his family, and all his friends,” she wrote.
Fredrika Ballard owns Fly Lugu Flight School. Fredrika Ballard / Facebook
“An accomplished pilot and savvy businessman, his loss will be felt throughout our community,” the release added.
In a statement, the National Transportation Safety Board said an investigator was sent to the scene after the plane crashed “under unknown circumstances.”
“Once on location, investigators will begin the process of documenting the scene and inspecting the aircraft,” the statement said. “The aircraft will then be taken to a secure facility for further evaluation.”
One witness, Mark Duprey, said he was standing at Leyden Road and Barton Road when he saw the plane descend from the sky in a “corkscrew fashion.”
“I thought it was someone playing around doing acrobatics until it started to sting,” Duprey told The Greenfield Recorder.
By Postal Wire
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Source: thtrangdai.edu.vn/en/
