Auburn mayor Bill Kirby, who was exiting post over Trump comments, dies in plane crash, family says
Auburn mayor Dr. Bill Kirby, who decided Monday to step down after making social media posts comparing supporters of President Donald Trump to the Ku Klux Klan, was killed Saturday morning in a plane crash near the Auburn Municipal Airport, officials confirmed.
Kirby, a urologist and Auburn city councilman since 2009, was the pilot of the plane that crashed shortly after 11 a.m. A passenger in the plane suffered minor injuries and was transported to a hospital, according to the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection.
A Facebook post from Sacramento political consultant Jeff Raimundo carried a statement from the Kirby family confirming he was the victim. Photos provided by the Sheriff’s Office show flames in a field with scattered shrapnel near the airport.
“Our family is devastated by this tragic news,” the statement by the family said. “Bill devoted decades of enthusiastic and loving support to his family, his patients and the Auburn community he loved so much. We will miss him immensely but take comfort in knowing he died while flying – one of the other loves of his life.”
Auburn’s vice mayor, Matt Spokely, shared the news with city staff in an email, saying “we are all very shocked and saddened by the news.”
“Throughout his term on council, Bill contributed to our community in so many ways — from the Arts Commission and the Lets Never Forget Series — to his support of the Auburn Airport and Placer Athletics,” Spokely’s memo read. “As a father myself, I always enjoyed hearing Bill’s stories and seeing his passion for his family and particularly his daughter, son and two granddaughters. He loved them very much!!! It’s important that we all focus on his family and offer compassion and sympathy to them.”
Kirby, 72, had been a licensed pilot since at least 2009, according to public records. The Auburn City Council website says Kirby worked with the Flying Doctors group that travels to rural villages to set up and run free medical clinics.
He was a father of two grown children and had been an Auburn resident for 30 years. Kirby, a self-described moderate, had also previously run for Congress in the 2002 Republican primary and had served on the board of the Auburn Recreation District.
Kirby gained notoriety last week following social media posts criticizing President Trump’s response to the coronavirus pandemic and comparing the president’s supporters to KKK members.
He told the Auburn Journal a week ago that his Facebook posts were made on a personal page and that “this has nothing to do with my job. I reposted it.”
He added that he “absolutely” believes Trump is a racist.
Kirby’s posts and statements created an outcry and calls for his recall. He announced during a City Council meeting Monday that he was stepping aside from his post as mayor and was expected to be succeeded by Councilman Daniel Berlant during this week’s council meeting.
This is the fourth plane crash near the Auburn airport in less than a year. In January, a father and son were killed in a crash. Last May, two nonfatal crashes occurred near the airport.
Placer sheriff’s Lt. Andrew Scott said the department’s Critical Accident Investigation team responded to the crash and would participate virtually with investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board, due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
