Private equity firm executive, daughter killed in Milwaukee plane crash

By Brendan O'Brien

MILWAUKEE (Reuters) - A Boston private equity firm executive and his daughter were killed in a fiery plane crash in Milwaukee as they were traveling to visit colleges, company officials said on Thursday.

Summit Partners Chief Operating Officer Joe Trustey and his daughter Anna were killed when their single-engine plane crashed at Timmerman Airport at 6 p.m. Wednesday, the Boston-based firm said in a statement.

Trustey joined the firm in 1992 after serving as a captain in the U.S. Army. He focused on the growth products and services sector and served on the board of several companies, including Vivint Solar, a Nasdaq-traded company.

"He touched everybody he met with his intellect, his sterling character and his engaging sense of humor. We cannot express how much we will miss his presence in our lives,” the firm said.

Trustey and his daughter were touring colleges in the Midwest, Summit Partners said. The pair were traveling in a Socata TBM single-engine turboprop light aircraft, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said the agency is investigating the crash. It is unclear where the flight originated from and its final destination, he said.

(Reporting by Brendan O'Brien in Milwaukee; Editing by Mary Wisniewski)