A 23-year-old flight instructor from Virginia died when a student crashed a small plane after causing it to stall during take-off.
The young Swedish flight instructor Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman, 23, attended Virginia’s Hampton University on a tennis scholarship and eventually became a flight instructor.
Ljungman was a licensed commercial pilot who lived in Williamsburg, Virginia.
On Thursday around 3 p.m., she and Oluwagbohunmi Ayomide Oyebode, 18, boarded the plane for a lesson. But disaster struck when Oyebode pointed the nose up at too steep an angle during takeoff which caused the plane to stall.
After the plane stalled, it began to fall out of the sky, and the young instructor was unable to regain control of the aircraft before it crashed into the ground and killed her.
The plane, a single-engine Cessna 172, had reached an altitude of about 100 feet before it crashed.
The university released a statement, saying: “Hampton University is aware of the unfortunate accident that occurred today involving two of our students. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation. Out of respect for the students and their families, we have no further comment at this time.”
Oyebode and the second student both attend Hampton University, a private university in Virginia. Both men had life-threatening injuries and were taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center after the accident. Oyebode was later transferred to VCU Medical Center.
According to Simply Flying, a small plane can stall when its angle is increased to the point where airflow around its wings is disrupted. A pilot can correct the stall by pushing the aircraft’s snout down to reduce its angle, but it is more challenging to execute when the plane is already at a low altitude.
Ljungman often shared photographs and videos on her Instagram page that showed her flights around the country. The page became a memorial to Ljungman as friends and loved ones left tributes on the page shortly after her death.
“The sweetest soul I met at Hampton,” one person wrote of Ljungman. “Not exaggerating at all.”
Added another: “I am so sorry for your loved ones, and I pray your next journey is one of peace and light. Keep flying.
Sources: AWM, WMAR, Simply Flying