Flight instructor dies, 2 injured when plane crashes during lesson, Virginia cops say
A flight instructor is dead and two college students are seriously injured after a Virginia plane crash, according to officials.
The crash happened just after 3 p.m. Oct. 6 after the plane departed Newport News/Williamsburg International Airport in Newport News, Virginia, a spokesperson from the Federal Aviation Administration told McClatchy News. Three people were onboard the single-engine Cessna 172.
An 18-year-old student from Hanover, Maryland, was flying the plane at the time of the incident, Virginia State Police said in a statement to McClatchy News. During take-off, the plane was pulled to a steep angle that caused the engine to stall, sending the aircraft into a dive.
The plane crashed into an embankment near the airport, according to police.
Police say the flight instructor onboard died in the crash. The instructor was identified as 23-year-old Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman of Williamsburg, Virginia.
“Viktoria didn’t have a single bad bone in her body. Not only was she nice, but she was intelligent, beautiful, adventurous, punctual, a risk taker, and radiate(d) positive energy,” her roommate Myana Mabry told WAVY. “She was truly someone you only meet once. And I will love her until the day after forever.”
The student flying the plane and another 18-year-old, who was a passenger on the plane, sustained serious injuries in the crash, according to police. Both men were transported to Riverside Regional Medical Center for treatment, and one was later transferred to Virginia Commonwealth University Medical Center Hospital in Richmond.
A university spokesperson confirmed that both men are students at Hampton University, WAVY reported.
“Out of respect for the students and their families, we have no further comment at this time,” the spokesperson said, per WAVY.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash, the FAA spokesperon told McClatchy News.
Hampton University did not immediately respond to McClatchy News’ request for comment.
Newport News is about 70 miles southeast of Richmond.
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