Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Crash kills girl pilot, 7

Jessica Dubroff died along with her father and her flight instructor when the plane went down shortly after taking off in a driving rain.

Police Chief John Powell, who was first on the scene, said the bodies were still strapped into the plane when he arrived.

"It was very fortunate it didn't hit any houses in the area," he said. "There was a last-minute attempt by the pilot not to hit houses."

Ginger Humphrey, spokeswoman for United Medical Center in Cheyenne, confirmed that Jessica, her father, Lloyd, and instructor Joe Reid died in the crash.

Jessica, who had dreamed of being a pilot when she grew up, took off at 8:25 a.m. during a storm after completing the first leg of the 6,500-mile round trip and spending the night here.

The plane crashed in a residential area, narrowly missing a house, a half-mile from the runway.

It wasn't immediately known who was at the controls. According to the plans, Reid wasn't to touch them except in an emergency. Her father was to sit in the back seat of the Cessna 177B four-seater.

The three had taken off Wednesday morning from Half Moon Bay, Calif. She landed safely in Elko, Nev., Rock Springs, Wyo., and Cheyenne.

The group was aiming to arrive in Falmouth, Mass., Friday after another stop in Fort Wayne, Ind. The family used to live in Falmouth.

The crumpled plane had lost its tail and wings. Debris was scattered through the neighborhood. Fuel spilled but there was no fire.

"The Guinness Book of Records" had ceased recognizing the "youngest pilot" category for fear of encouraging unsafe flights.

Under Federal Aviation Administration rules the minimum age for holding a pilot's license is 16. In the case of someone younger, they are considered to be a passenger in the plane and the flight instructor is legally responsible for flying the aircraft.

Flying -- along with riding horses, crafting furniture and even helping rebuild a house -- had been part of home schooling for Jessica and her 9-year-old brother, Joshua. The family is from Pescadero, a rural community about 40 miles south of San Francisco.

The 4-foot-2, brown-haired Jessica was so short she needed extenders on the plane's pedals in order to reach them. The girl, who would have turned 8 on May 5, said she wanted to be a professional pilot.

Jessica's father had said the girl "dragged her mother and me into this" and was not pushed by parental ambition.

Jessica had written to President Clinton to invite him on a 15-minute plane ride, but her father had said they received a letter saying the president and Mrs. Clinton wouldn't be available Saturday.

At the Three-Zero Cafe at Half Moon Bay Airport, where Jessica took her lessons, owner Mark Smith said, "We're all just stunned. We were going to have a reception. I was going to be open whenever they showed up."

The last youngster listed by Guinness was 9-year-old Rachel Carter of Ramona, Calif., who crossed the continent in 1994. Since then, 8-year-old Killian Moss of Phoenix completed a similar journey last year.

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