The CEO of a private jet company and pilot training school has been identified as one of the victims in a plane crash in Virginia.
Alfredo Diez who was the founder and CEO of Atlantis Aviation, and his wife and young son have been identified as three of the five victims, EmmanuelsBlog has learned.
On Sunday, five people died in the crash near the Ingalls Field Airport in Bath County when a private jet and burst into flames on impact.
Diez is from Betanzos in Spain and reportedly moved to Florida in 2016 to launch his flight academy. In 2020, he became the CEO of private jet company Sky Jet Elite, according to his LinkedIn profile.
‘My great friend Alfredo J Diez departed yesterday with his family and crew to his eternal flight,’ said Adolfo Perez Castillo on Facebook.
How The Crash Happened
The plane, a twin-engine IAI Astra 1125, crashed around 3 p.m. on Sunday when the airplane came down short of the runway as it was attempting to make an emergency landing.
The Virginia State Police said the plane fell short of the runway, plowed through trees before slamming into a hillside.
The plane reportedly left from Fort Lauderdale, Florida and was scheduled to land at Ingalls Field Airport in Hot Springs, Virginia.
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An attorney for the plane’s owner and family friend told police that the people aboard planned to attend an event at the nearby Homestead Resort.
‘An incredible young man gone too soon. Such a genuine, polite well mannered young man,’ said Kat Ferrari on Facebook.
‘I’ve always maintained relationships with my students after they move on, but this one hits hard.’