Questions remain in 2019 plane crash that killed military veteran pilot

Unclear why small plane struck powerlines in Middleburg, according to the NTSB

MIDDLEBURG, Fla. – More than two-and-a-half years after a small plane went down in Clay County, killing a 72-year-old pilot, questions remain as to what caused it to strike powerlines.

Investigators said the retired commercial pilot was on killed Oct. 31, 2019, when his Van’s RV-4 plane crashed. News4JAX spoke with his family, who identified the man as Tim O’Laughlin. He was the only person in the two-seat plane.

The National Transportation Safety Board spoke with O’Laughlin’s son, who said his father wanted to take a quick flight before his birthday party later that evening. In its report, the NTSB said it was unable to determine from the evidence why O’Laughlin’s plane struck the powerlines.

It noted that the pilot had several cardiovascular conditions and was taking various medications, but added that “there were no autopsy findings or radio communications to determine if the pilot experienced a cardiac event.”

O’Laughlin learned to fly in the Navy and then flew commercially for various airline companies, including Northwest Airlines and Delta, according to his LinkedIn profile.

The military veteran left behind a wife and a son as well as many friends, who said O’Laughlin spent his free time doing flyovers and memorials for veterans and pilots who passed away.