A California father, 44, passed away from severe injuries days after a plane crash that killed his wife and two sons on Saturday.
The four-seater single-engine aircraft crashed atop a bluff of the San Joaquin River, about 12 miles north of Fresno in Central California, shortly before 2pm on Saturday, according to the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office.
Craig Eady, 44, spent three days in the hospital with critical burns and passed away on Monday, the sheriff’s office said.
His wife Danna Eady, 41, died of her injuries in hospital on the night of the crash, according to Fresno County Sheriff’s Office Public Information Officer Tony Botti.
Their two sons Pavel, 10, and Remus, 13, were pronounced dead at the scene.
The recreational plane, piloted by Danna, crashed shortly after takeoff from the nearby Sierra Sky Park Airport.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the crash. An NTSB investigator was on site Sunday morning, according to a statement to the Daily Mail.
‘Several electronic devices were recovered from the plane and are being sent to NTSB headquarters for further analysis,’ the statement reads.
Following the tragic plane crash which claimed the lives of Craig Eady and his wife Danna Eady (middle), and their two sons Pavel (lower left) and Remus (lower right). They are survived by the family’s two older children, Lucien and Felicity (upper left)
The Eady’s plane crashed and started burning near the San Joaquin River in Central California
Craig Eady and his wife Danna Eady were removed from the wreckage and taken to a hospital. Their two young sons were pronounced dead at the scene
The wreckage has been taken to a secure facility for further examination.
The exact cause of the crash is not yet clear but is likely to be revealed in a preliminary report from the NTSB to be published up to 30 days from the crash.
‘I would say for the number of flights that come in and out of Sierra Sky Park, this is unusual. As a whole, airplane crashes are very rare. I think we need to keep that frame of mind,’ Botti said in a video posted to the FCSO Facebook page.
Danna Eady was a flight instructor at Reedley College, a community college in Fresno County.
Nick Wilcox, a longtime friend and flight instructor, said to abc7: ‘Danna was always just up for an adventure. So, I know she is still on an adventure right now and this is… she just loved adventure. She loved flying. She died doing what she loved.’
Daniel Armenta, a flight science student at Reedley College, added: ‘She was an amazing instructor. She taught us well. She taught us how to keep on going.’
The couple are survived by their two older children, Felicity, 18, and her brother Lucien, 17.
Felicity wrote in a Facebook post: ‘I will forever miss my best friends. We went on so many adventures together and truly lived life to the fullest during our time together. I love you Mom, Dad, Remus, and Pavel!’
Craig Eady (far left) passed away from his injuries on Monday. He was the last survivor of the plane crash which claimed four out of six members of the Eady Family
Danna Eady was piloting the single engine aircraft. She was a flying instructor at Reedley College in Fresno County
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash. The wreckage of the plane was transported to a facility for further examination, according to a statement from the NTSB to the Daily Mail.
An online fundraiser was put together for them to alleviate the many unexpected costs that come with a tragedy of this nature. So far, $65,000 has been raised towards the $250,000 goal.
The Eady family were a part of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Auberry, according to abc30. Kristin Leonard, a member of their ward, said many are finding comfort in their beliefs as they mourn, abc30 reported.
The Daily Mail has reached out to the City of Fresno and Reedley College for comment.
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