Friends of the young flight instructor who died in a plane crash while teaching a student last week mourned her death over the weekend – saying the 23-year-old had been living her lifelong dream of becoming a commercial pilot
That caused the single-engine Cessna to stall, officials investigating the crash said, and plummet to the earth from about 100 feet at about 3pm at Williamsburg International Airport.
I remember when I first met her, that’s all she ever wanted to do. She wanted to be a commercial pilot,’ Charlie Hudson, who played tennis at Hampton University, told the Daily Press on Friday.
Ljungman, who was from Sweden, attended the school on a tennis scholarship, and realized her dream of becoming a flight instructor after graduating last May.
The crash is currently under investigation, according to officials, who revealed over the weekend that a tactical error from the teenage student pilot caused the tragedy
Oluwagbohunmi Ayomide Oyebode, also a student at Hampton, survived the crash, officials revealed, and suffered ‘life-threatening’ injuries. He was airlifted to VCU Hospital in Richmond where he currently remains.
Officials said the aircraft crashed in woods near the airport shortly after take-off.
Ljungman extensively documented her ‘journey to become an airline pilot’ on her Instagram, where she shared photos and videos from various flights.
Photos show the young graduate beaming in the cockpit, with one post revealing that she had just got her flight instructor license in April.
In a photo apparently taken after passing the exam, Ljungman can be seen proudly celebrating her accomplishment – one of many steps taken by the young woman in realizing her dream, her friends said.
‘I don’t remember her ever not smiling,’ Hudson said, remembering his old teammate’s positive attitude. ‘She was just contagious in her energy, just lovely to be around.’
‘To know “Hey, my roommate is a legend — not a legend in the making, but a legend,” Mabry told the station. ‘It was just so commendable and so rewarding to see her dreams become a reality.’
She added that ‘She just was her being so authentic, people were naturally drawn to her.’
Hudson agreed, saying ‘she was just … such a pure soul that seemed so innocent.’
‘How she presents herself on social media… was how she was in person,’ he went on. ‘I think that’s quite rare these days, to find someone who’s like for like, both in person and online.’
Cops are currently investigating the crash, which left the wrecked Cessna 172 in a ditch in woods near the small-town airport.
They have since ascertained that the crash transpired during a lesson provided by to teenage , who has been deemed at fault for the accident.
