A California flight instructor and two of her young sons were killed in a devastating plane crash that left her husband badly injured and fighting through a long recovery.
Danna Eady, 41, of Auberry, died along with her sons Pavel, 10, and Remus, 13, after the family’s single-engine plane crashed on a hilltop near Sierra Sky Park airport in Fresno on Saturday.
Her husband, Craig Eady, was also aboard and survived, but friends said he suffered severe burns and extensive injuries.
Danna is also survived by the couple’s two older children, Lucien, 17, and Felicity, 18.
The family had reportedly been on their way to an airshow when the aircraft went down.
A SupportNow fundraiser set up by family friend Julie Lovell said Craig now faces months of surgeries, rehabilitation and medical care.
“[Craig] now faces a long and difficult road of surgeries, rehabilitation, medical care, and recovery,” the page states. “His care is expected to continue for at least the next six months and likely well beyond that.”
Money raised will go toward Craig’s ongoing medical treatment, household expenses and other unexpected costs following the tragedy.
Nick Wilcox, owner of Soar Paso flight school in Paso Robles, remembered Danna as a close friend and fellow flight instructor.
“She was a very special soul,” Wilcox told The Post.
Wilcox said he had flown with Danna numerous times and that she had even taken his daughter flying.
Danna was deeply involved in the Fresno-area aviation community. She worked as a flight instructor at Reedley College and served as president of the local Experimental Aircraft Association chapter.
Wilcox said the flood of messages from current and former students following the crash showed how much of an impact she had made.
“She was a very large presence in the Fresno flying community,” he said.
Friends also remembered Danna as adventurous, outgoing and full of life.
Wilcox described her as “bubbly, outgoing, a free spirit” who loved being barefoot, eating ice cream, traveling and searching out new experiences.
Flying was one of her greatest passions.
Although Danna had only become a pilot in recent years, Wilcox said she quickly logged thousands of flight hours and earned numerous ratings.
“Her dream was to fly,” he said. “She died doing what she absolutely loved.”
The crash happened shortly before 2 p.m. Saturday in northwest Fresno near the San Joaquin River.
Tony Botti, a spokesman for the Fresno County Sheriff’s Office, said authorities received the call at about 1:50 p.m. reporting a plane crash near the far north end of Blythe Avenue, close to Sierra Sky Park.
Firefighters, police officers and sheriff’s deputies rushed to the scene and found wreckage from the fixed-wing, single-engine aircraft on a bluff near the river.
Flames had also spread across a nearby hillside.
Firefighters managed to put out the blaze and stop it from reaching nearby homes, according to the sheriff’s office.
Danna and Craig were initially transported to a hospital in critical condition.
Pavel and Remus were pronounced dead at the scene.
Danna later died from her injuries.
Authorities secured the area around the wreckage Saturday so investigators and emergency crews could continue their work.
The cause of the crash remains unclear.
Both the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board are investigating, with the NTSB leading the effort to determine what caused the aircraft to go down.
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