Eady family all perish in California plane crash

All four members of the Eady family have died following a plane crash near Sierra Sky Park Airport in northwest Fresno, California. The accident occurred on Saturday, September 5, when a Grumman American AA-5 single-engine aircraft, piloted by flight instructor Danna Eady, 41, crashed and caught fire shortly after takeoff.

Danna Eady, a certified instructor at Reedley College and founder of Meraki Aviation, died from her injuries. Her husband, Craig Eady, 44, passed away in the hospital on Monday from severe burns and trauma sustained in the crash. The couple’s two youngest sons, Pavel, 10, and Remus, 13, were pronounced dead at the scene. The family’s two eldest children, Felicity, 18, and Lucien, 17, were not on board the aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating the cause of the crash. The incident has deeply impacted the local aviation community, leading Reedley College to cancel flight operations to honor Eady, who was noted as a mentor and trailblazer in her program.