Labor Day weekend is typically spent having the last celebration before summer ends. Many people in Texas gather for picnics or fireworks, and others spend the time enjoying their favorite recreation, such as boating or biking. For one man, flying was his hobby, and his Labor Day was spent sharing his passion with his friends. Unfortunately, the celebration ended in tragedy as a plane crash took the lives of the pilot and his passenger.
The plane was flying low over the river around 7 p.m.. the Saturday before Labor Day. The pilot was a 26-year-old man, and his passenger was a 25-year-old friend who was visiting from another state. Witnesses say the pilot was attempting stunts with the single engine airplane when something when wrong. While the pilot apparently attempted to make a backward loop, the plane’s engine stalled, and the craft rolled over and dropped nose first into the water.
Police and emergency responders raced to the scene and found the plane upside down in the river. The pilot and his passenger both died in the accident. An autopsy is being conducted, and the Federal Aviation Administration in Texas is investigating. Meanwhile, the airplane remains in the river as a grim reminder of the accident. Authorities expect to remove it in the near future.
A fun and exciting celebration turned disastrous in an instant. Although the pilot died in this accident, the family of the passenger may have grounds to sue the estate of the pilot. If the investigation shows that the pilot behaved negligently or recklessly and caused the plane crash and subsequent death of his passenger, the family may wish to pursue a wrongful death claim. Having an experienced attorney to guide them will help the family determine what course of action to take.
Source: CBS News, “Two killed in Texas while doing stunts in single-engine plane“, Sept. 4, 2016
