One flight instructor dead and one student seriously injured

GAINESVILLE, Texas (KXII) – A plane crashed near County Road 404 in Gainesville around 9 p.m. Tuesday, killing one person and seriously injuring another.

According to the Texas Department of Public Safety (DPS), 27-year-old pilot Bailey Maldonado of Grandbury was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident.

The 26-year-old male passenger, James Watts of Springfield, Oregon, was flown to a hospital in Denton with serious injuries.

The US Aviation Academy of Denton confirmed that the single-engine fixed-wing Cessna 172R aircraft was flown by members of the school.

Maldonado was a teacher and Watts was a student.

The same school was also involved in a plane crash in Gainesville in 2019 that killed a teacher and a student.

In a statement to News 12, US Aviation Academy CEO Mike Sykes wrote that the school had no further details about what happened or why the plane crashed.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of the crash victims and the entire Federal Aviation Administration team. We grieve together,” Sykes wrote. “A grief counselor is available to students and staff.”

Gainesville resident Brad Baldwin said he was saddened to hear of another fatal plane crash in the city.

“It’s devastating, especially when you hear that someone has died in there again,” Baldwin said. “It seems like something needs to be done with the school.”

Residents near the crash site said the plane made a strange sound as it flew overhead and the impact shook their homes.

Ronnie Neu said he rushed to the scene of the accident after hearing the loud bang.

“When I got to the plane, I noticed the man was sitting upright and breathing,” Neu said.

However, he quickly realized that this was not the case with the pilot.

“She was hanging out of the seat with head injuries,” Neu said. “I never think about something like that happening, you know? But now I’ll kind of think about it all the time.”

The Federal Flight Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board will continue to investigate the crash.

News 12 will keep you updated as more information becomes available.

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