Virginia State Police said that the plane began to land on the runway before aborting the attempt and trying to ascend back into the air. It struck the tree line, crashed and immediately caught fire.
Advertisement
Hamerstadt, 64, of Carmel, Ind.
Another passenger, Maren Timmermann, 15, of Berlin, and the plane’s owner, Robert D. Ross, 73, of Louisville, also were killed.
Lisa Borinstein, 52, died with two of her kids Luke Borinstein, 19, and Emma Borinstein, 15.
The flight departed from Louisville Friday morning en route to Shannon with an initial stop in Shelbyville, state police said.
Officials said they are still in the process of notifying next of kin. Anchorage Police Chief Chris Tolley said one death had been confirmed.
Twitter user Tanya Aquino tweeted a photo of a fire in the woods outside Fredericksburg while she rode on Amtrak from Washington to Richmond.
“When I heard there was a fire, it was such a hot day, I was hoping it was just a brush fire”, Aquino told the wire service. “Plane looks small but the fire is still going”.
That summation of events was reached as a result of an investigation by both state police and federal transportation authorities, including the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration, the press release said. She says she saw white smoke and then the crash.
‘The plane was completely decimated and there was still some flame coming from it, ‘ Acree said in an email.
Advertisement
The small general aviation airport just outside the Fredericksburg City limits is just south of the Fredericksburg Agricultural Fairgrounds on US 17 Business (Tidewater Trail). State police and the NTSB are still at the scene Saturday.
