Last Updated on July 20, 2021 by CCAR Staff
ANGWIN, Calif. — Three people killed last week when a small airplane crashed and burned in a Napa County vineyard have been identified as members of the same family, authorities said Monday.
A pilot and two passengers were aboard when the single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza went down Friday in the community of Angwin, about 55 miles (88.5 kilometers) north of San Francisco.
The plane clipped trees round 8:40 a.m. while the pilot was trying to execute a missed approach at Angwin Airport-Parrett Field, the Federal Aviation Administration said. The plane crashed south of the airport and caught fire, according to the FAA.
The Napa County Sheriff’s Office said in a statement that the pilot was 73-year-old Robert Nicholas of Murrieta, California. Also killed were Nicholas’ daughter, Shauna Waite, and her husband, James Waite. They were both 37 years old and lived in Arlington, Virginia.
The Waite couple is survived by a one-year-old son, who was with Nicholas’ wife at the time of the crash, according to a Facebook post by the DC Road Runners, a Washington D.C.-based running club the Waites were involved with.
“There are no words that can describe the loss of these wonderful people,” said the running club’s post. “They loved life and lived every moment to the fullest. Their excitement for life was infectious.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the crash.
