Married Couple Die in Small Plane Crash with Dog on Board After Mid-Air Emergency

A decorated flight instructor and his wife were killed in a tragic small plane crash in Texas this week, just moments after the pilot declared an emergency.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Beechcraft A36 went down in Brownsboro around 5:30 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Feb. 11. Officials said the pilot reported an emergency shortly before the aircraft struck power lines and crashed.

Henderson County Sheriff Botie Hillhouse confirmed that both people on board died in the crash.

The Florida Aviation Network identified the victims as Ron J. Timmermans and his wife, Barbara. A dog that was also traveling with them survived.

Preliminary findings suggest the emergency may have been caused by oil covering the windshield, according to early FAA information cited by local outlet KVUE.

Ron Timmermans began his career as a flight instructor in 1998 and was widely respected in the aviation community. In 2021, he was named National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year through an FAA-affiliated award program.

The Florida Aviation Network said Ron joined the organization in 2017 and volunteered his time to help train and mentor pilots.

“Ron was an important part of training hundreds of pilots over the years. He’s done hundreds of hours of interviews with people in the aviation industry,” a spokesperson told KLTV. “He and Barbara will be greatly missed.”

FAA records show the plane was registered to AileRon T LLC, a company based in Orlando, Florida.

The crash remains under investigation. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are working together to determine what led to the deadly incident. An NTSB investigator is expected to examine the crash site as part of the ongoing probe.