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FRESNO COUNTY, Calif. (KFSN) — The aviation community is mourning the loss of certified flight instructor, 41-year-old Danna Eady, who died after the aircraft she was piloting crashed Saturday afternoon just off the runway at Sierra Sky Park Airport in Northwest Fresno.
Friends and fellow flight instructors remembered Eady as an adventurous, outgoing person who was passionate about flying. Eady, 41, had dreamed of becoming a commercial airline pilot and was in the cockpit doing what she loved when the aircraft went down.
“Danna was always just up for an adventure. So, I know she is still on an adventure right now and this is… she just loved adventure. She loved flying. She died doing what she loved. She’s probably on another adventure because that’s the kind of person she was,” said Nick Wilcox, a longtime friend and flight instructor.
The aircraft was carrying Eady, her husband Craig and their two youngest children.
Eady and her husband were taken to a hospital, where she later died from her injuries.
The family confirmed the couple’s two young sons also died after the plane caught fire near the bluff of the San Joaquin River.
Craig Eady suffered third-degree burns and remains in the hospital.
According to Fresno County Sheriff’s Office spokesperson Tony Botti, emergency responders initially focused on locating victims and survivors.
“The focus was on any victims…any survivors. Two adults, a man and a woman were found outside of the plane with severe injuries,” Botti said.
Botti later added, “We did discover two other victims in the wreckage. They were deceased. We identified them to be children.”
Sierra Sky Park Airport has a runway that is just over 2,400 feet long, making it one of the shortest in the San Joaquin Valley. Because the airport is privately owned, it is not required to conform to Federal Aviation Administration safety requirements for runway overruns. The airport is located between two residential neighborhoods and borders the San Joaquin River.
Wilcox described the airport as particularly challenging in the event of an aircraft problem.
“That’s one of the most challenging airports that there is if you have an aircraft issue,” he said.
Colleagues said Eady was a respected and experienced instructor who mentored aspiring pilots throughout her career.
“She was a veteran flight instructor that has had numerous pilots underneath her go on to become pilots,” Wilcox said.
“A veteran that you could put in any cockpit and she would know how to fly it. I assure you that she flew this aircraft as best as she could all the way until she no longer could,” he added.
Eady also served as a flight instructor and mentor to flight science students at Reedley College. The college’s flight science department canceled classes for Tuesday following the Labor Day holiday.
Friends said Eady dedicated her time to helping others and left a lasting impact on the aviation community.
“It’s incredibly hard for the community of Fresno, the aviation community all over California where she has flown and the world. She has touched many lives,” Wilcox said.
Friends and family have set up a support campaign to help with funeral and other expenses for the Eady family.
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