79-year-old flight instructor Frank Schmidt
(Photo: Tom Fitzgerald / FOX 5 WTTG)
(Photo: Tom Fitzgerald / FOX 5 WTTG)
(Photo: Tom Fitzgerald / FOX 5 WTTG)LAYTONSVILLE, Md. -
A spokesman with Davis Airport has identified the man who died in a small plane crash in Laytonsville Monday as 79-year-old flight instructor Frank Schmidt.
Schmidt was an expert instructor with over forty years experience. According to friends, he had been hired by the pilot of the plane to take him through a series of practice runs.
People at the airstrip say the pilot had recently purchased a share in the plane, a Beechcraft BE23, and wanted Schmidt to help him get more familiar with the controls in a series of exercises called ‘touch-and-goes.'
Eyewitnesses suggest the plane crash was caused by some kind of engine failure, however, an official cause has not yet been determined.
The crash occurred about 7:20 p.m. Monday at Davis Airport. The pilot was flown with injuries to a trauma center.
Montgomery County Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Scott Graham says the Federal Aviation Administration will investigate. Laytonsville is located about 50 miles northwest of Washington.
