Pilot father and son killed in small plane crash just moments after texting fiance asking her to light the runway with flashlights
An American Airlines pilot and his adult son were killed Thursday night when their small plane crashed near the Festus Memorial Airport in Missouri after experiencing what is believed to be electrical issues. Authorities are yet to release the names of the father, who was in his mid-50s, and his son, who was in his early 20s.
Festus Memorial Airport Vice President Mike Bippen told KMOV4 that the pilot was very experienced.
"With him being an American Airlines pilot, I mean he's probably got more hours than all of us put together," said Bippen. Like most small airports, Festus Memorial Airport isn’t staffed 24-hours a day and the lights are turned off at night. Pilots can remotely turn them on by clicking the microphone of their radio six times. But the pilot of the Cessna couldn’t do that because of the mechanical problems.