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Fresno County Sheriff’s Office first responders work at the site of an airplane crash near the San Joaquin River in Fresno on Sept. 5, 2026. Photo courtesy of FCSO <\/p>\n
Danna Eady, aviation entrepreneur and Reedley College instructor, among three killed in Fresno crash<\/p>\n
Danna Eady, 41, of Auberry was an entrepreneur and flight instructor active in the local aviation community, according to online profiles.<\/p>\n
Eady was one of three people killed in an airplane crash near the San Joaquin River, authorities said Sunday. She died overnight after the crash Saturday afternoon northwest of the Sierra Sky Park, according to the Fresno County Sheriff\u2019s Office.<\/p>\n
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Danna Eady, Reedley College photo<\/p>\n
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Eady and a man were found outside the airplane, while two children were confirmed dead inside the wreckage, authorities said. Four people were believed to be aboard.<\/p>\n
The man and Eady were taken to Community Regional Medical Center. The man, who has not been identified, was in critical condition as of Sunday afternoon. Authorities also have not identified the children, estimated between 8 and 10 years old.<\/p>\n
An official from the National Transportation Safety Board traveled from Phoenix on Saturday to begin the investigation and was expected to remain at the site Sunday.<\/p>\n
Tony Botti, a public information officer with the Fresno County Sheriff\u2019s Office, said it could take up to a year before an official NTSB report is released. Until then, the cause remains unknown.<\/p>\n
Authorities believe Eady was in the fixed-wing, single-engine plane as it departed the Sierra Sky Park and crashed into an embankment at the 7300 block of N. Blythe Ave. near the San Joaquin River, causing a brush fire that firefighters extinguished before it reached homes at the top of the bluff.<\/p>\n
Active in the local aviation community<\/p>\n
Tributes to Eady appeared on social media soon after her identity was released Sunday. Online profiles indicate the wife and mother of four was an entrepreneur and flight instructor active with the Experimental Aircraft Association Chapter 376, based at the Sierra Sky Park.<\/p>\n
Eady was the current president of EAA Chapter 376<\/a>, according to a social media post. The EAA is a national organization with 900 local chapters and 300,000 members \u201csharing their passion for flying, building and restoring recreational aircraft.\u201d The organization\u2019s Young Eagles program introduces children 8 to 17 to aviation and careers in science, technology, engineering and mathematics.<\/p>\n The EAA Chapter 376 hosted its 39th annual End O\u2019 Summer Fly-in & Car Show at the Sierra Sky Park on Oct. 11, 2025, as a fundraiser for community programs that include taking Young Eagles on free introductory flights.<\/p>\n A pilot, instructor and business owner<\/p>\n In addition to being a pilot, Eady served as a flight instructor at Reedley College\u2019s flight science department beginning in August 2025, according to her LinkedIn page.<\/p>\n