ST. AUGUSTINE, Fla. – A 49-year-old woman died Thursday morning after her aerobatic plane crashed at Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine on Wednesday, according to a post from her boyfriend on social media.
The woman has been identified as Marianne Fox from Corvalis, Oregon.
The plane went down in a salt marsh near the runway just before 5 p.m. on Wednesday. According to St. Johns County Fire Rescue, the pilot was removed from the aircraft and rushed to a hospital for treatment of critical injuries.
Jim Bourke, a close friend to Fox, shared a heartfelt message on social media.
“Our family is devastated to report that Marianne Fox passed away early this morning after an airplane accident following a declaration of emergency during a short cross country flight,” Bourke said. “We are so happy to have known Marianne and to have experienced the joy of sharing our lives with her, yet our grief will never pass.”
He said arrangements are being made for a funeral near her childhood home in Oregon.
“Marianne delighted in the close company of her innumerable friends and her amazing family. She was adventurous, charming, intelligent, and caring. Her success in everything she did inspire us, whether she was demonstrating her prowess as a business leader, pushing herself during a morning run, or flexing her muscles as an interior decorator. Everything she touched was made better.”
Bourke said he met Fox 17 years ago.
People who knew Fox say she lived a meaningful life with purpose. And that purpose was to excel in the sport of aerobatics.
“She just took off with it,” said Hannah Neil, a friend of Fox. “The rate at which she advanced into her skill is very remarkable. She surpassed me. I’ve been flying longer than she has, but I was seeing her do things I was too scared to do.”
Moments before the crash that claimed her life, Fox and another pilot who was flying a separate plane behind her aircraft declared an emergency.
“My flight partner is having engine trouble. The engine is not running well. We’re making a beeline for the airport right now,” was heard over a radio.
A witness who saw both planes fly over his house on approach to the airport says the lead plane’s engine didn’t sound right.
“It did sound very unusual. It sounded like it was running very rough,” the man said.
News4Jax aviation analyst Ed Booth says the engine sound is an important detail for investigators.
“The NTSB will look at the engine in great detail and determine if there were any conditions that would have prevented it from developing normal power,” Booth said.
Fox was cleared to land but something went wrong and the air traffic control operator knew it.
“Looks like she tried to put it down and it’s now flipped over. We couldn’t tell,” the operator said over the radio.
Fox’s plane crashed into a marshy area 600 yards from the end of the runway.
After fox crashed, she was still in communication with air traffic control, which kept telling her help was on the way.
Aerobatic champion and International Aerobatic Club Vice President Rob Holland also issued a statement that reads:
“She was, and always will be, a beloved member of the aerobatic and aviation community. We are saddened by her loss but will always cherish her memory and the ways she touched our lives in a positive way.”