The aviation community mourns as a fatal accident claims the lives of four individuals, including Devyn Reiley, the daughter of former Super Bowl champion Bruce Collie. The tragic incidents occurred during the AirVenture Oshkosh airshow in Wisconsin on Saturday, July 29.
Devyn Reiley, a 30-year-old from Guadalupe, Texas, was flying with her co-pilot Zach Colliemoreno when their World War II-era T-6 Texan encountered trouble. Witnesses reported that the aircraft reached an altitude of 3,900 feet before spiraling out of control and plunging into Lake Winnebago.
Brayden Hiebing, who was fishing in the lake at the time, recounted, "I thought they were doing a trick at first. I heard the plane start coming out of the sky, and it started spinning, and all of a sudden it just made a big splash." Despite rescue efforts, both Reiley and Colliemoreno lost their lives in the crash. An investigation into the cause of the accident is currently underway.
In a separate incident at the airshow, helicopter pilot Mark Peterson, 69, and passenger Thomas Volz, 72, also lost their lives in a mid-air collision between an ELA 10 Eclipse gyrocopter and a RotorWay162F helicopter. The tragic accident occurred around 12:30 p.m. on the same day. Fortunately, two other individuals involved in the crash were hospitalized and are reported to be in stable condition, according to the Experimental Aircraft Association (EAA).
Devyn Reiley was not only a skilled aviator but also a co-owner of a Texas-based flight school along with her husband, Hunter. Their presence at the airshow added to the somber atmosphere, as the couple had recently celebrated their third wedding anniversary.
Bruce Collie, the father of Devyn and a former NFL player, was a part of the San Francisco 49ers' victorious teams in Super Bowl XXIII and XXIV. Throughout his football career, he played five seasons with the franchise and concluded his NFL journey with the Philadelphia Eagles in 1990 and 1991.
The aviation community and sports enthusiasts alike express their deepest condolences to the families and loved ones of all those who lost their lives in these tragic airshow accidents.