Army general who served at APG was person killed in Tuesday night plane crash in Havre de Grace

Baltimore Sun Staff, The Aegis, Bel Air, Md.
·2 min read

Jul. 28—The small plane that crashed Tuesday evening in Havre de Grace was piloted by a high-ranking Army general from Aberdeen Proving Ground, according to an Army news release.

Army Maj. Gen. Anthony Wayne Potts, 59, of Aberdeen, was at the controls of the single-engine plane when it crashed around 7:15 p.m. in the 3600 block of Old Level Road. He was pronounced dead at the scene, according to a Harford County Sheriff's Office spokesperson. No passengers were on board.

Potts was a major general and most recently the program executive officer for the Army's Program Executive Office for Command, Control and Communications-Tactical (PEO-C3T), based at Aberdeen Proving Ground, from June 2022 to June 2023, according to his Army biography. A decorated veteran, he had served in the military since 1986.

"Maj. Gen. Potts completed over 36 years of distinguished service, most recently serving as Program Executive Officer, Command, Control and Communication (Tactical), Aberdeen Proving Ground, Maryland," Army spokesperson Ruth Castro said in an email. "The entire U.S. Army is grateful for his service, and we extend our deepest and most sincere condolences to the entire Potts family."

Potts earned a bachelor's degree in management information systems from Murray State University in 1986, and was commissioned a second lieutenant in Army Aviation. He earned a master's of business administration from the University of Kentucky and a master's of strategic studies from the U.S. Army War College.

Potts served as an attack helicopter platoon leader in Germany, and as commander of the Army's AH-64 Apache Attack Helicopter Training Company, among other positions. He was a rated AH-64 Apache instructor pilot with a combat tour in Operations Desert Shield/Desert Storm and numerous deployments to the Balkans, Operation Enduring Freedom and Operation Iraqi Freedom, the biography said.

The Federal Aviation Administration identified the downed plane as a Piper PA-28, a fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft. The plane is registered to Jentone Aviation LLC., Potts' company, at his home address on base. Potts was certified as a commercial and private pilot, specifically for the kind of plane he was flying, and as a flight instructor.

The FAA is investigating the crash with the National Transportation Safety Board, the aviation agency said. NTSB investigators arrived Wednesday.

Originally Published: Jul 28, 2023 at 4:37 pm