ORLANDO, Fla. – A beloved local pilot and his wife tragically lost their lives in a crash in Texas this week. The couple owned an aviation company based in Orlando.
Their dog survived.
Many colleagues and friends say they devoted their lives to helping others and will be dearly missed.
Pilot and instructor John Tenney demonstrated a flight simulation, of a Beech A36. The aircraft is the same model that his friends, Ron and Barbara Timmermans, were flying when they tragically lost their lives Wednesday night after hitting trees and crashing into a power line while attempting to land just outside Brownsboro, Texas.
Image of the crashed plane (KYTX-TV)
“I was getting pretty devastated at this point. We’re going to miss him. He was my mentor. He was my spiritual advisor,” Tenney said.
Tenney said Ron was his neighbor, church friend, and colleague at the Florida Aviation Network. He also helped train pilots at the UCF Business Incubator as an independent contract instructor.
“Ron was an important part of training hundreds of pilots, especially on Beechcraft planes. He was the National Flight Instructor of the Year in 2021,” the Florida Aviation Network said in a statement.
Tenney also said, “I flew with him just a month ago. He seemed like a confident pilot to me. I know it’s not pilot error.”
According to the Federal Aviation Administration, Ron Timmermans reported oil covering the windshield, clouding his view.
“I’m sure he did a thorough pre-flight exam before. He always does. He always looks at everything,” Tenney said.
The National Transportation Safety Board will examine the wreckage before moving the aircraft to a secure facility.
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