Horror update after flight instructor is killed and two students injured in plane crash as reason for tragedy revealed
A PLANE crash that killed one person and injured two others came after a flight student increased altitude too quickly during takeoff, investigators have revealed.
A flight instructor who was killed in the crash has been identified as 23-year-old Viktoria Theresie Ljungman of Sweden.
Ljungman, a licensed commercial pilot, was serving as flight instructor for two aviation students at the time of the tragedy.
Police identified the student piloting the plane as 18-year-old Oluwagbohunmi Ayomide Oyebode from Hanover, Maryland.
He was taken to VCU Hospital in Richmond with serious injuries.
Investigators have not released the name of the other 18-year-old student who was onboard, though it was revealed that he suffered life-threatening injuries.
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A Hampton University spokesperson said that both Oyebode and the unidentified 18-year-old male are students.
The incident happened after 3pm on Thursday.
Gearing up for takeoff in the Cessna 172 Skyhawk, Oyebode attempted to pull the plane up at “too steep of an angle,” according to Michelle Anaya with the Virginia State Police.
This ultimately caused the plane to stall at an altitude of 100 feet when it then "dove" into a ditch, Anaya said.
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After takeoff from the Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport in Virginia, the plane crashed into the barrier next to the runway.
Hampton University canceled classes on Friday and arranged a prayer service for students and faculty.
The university, an HBCU, collaborates with the Rick Aviation Flight School, which is based out of the airport.
Students benefit from the collaboration as part of the university's Bachelor of Science aviation degree program.
Ljungman was an alumnus of Hampton University and played on the women's tennis team.
“We were really each other’s family,” former Hampton University Tennis player Charlie Hudson said on Friday.
“I remember when I first met her, that’s all she ever wanted to do. She wanted to be a commercial pilot."
Hudson said that the close-knit team, comprised of many international students, was in shock over the crash.
Myana Mabry, Ljungman's roommate at Hampton University, shared a tribute with WAVY.
"Viktoria didn’t have a single bad bone in her body," Mabry said.
"Not only was she nice, but she was intelligent, beautiful, adventurous, punctual, a risk taker, and radiate(d) positive energy.
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“She was truly someone you only meet once. And I will love her until the day after forever.”
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash.