A woman was killed after being hit by the wing of a small airplane while she was on a lawnmower next to a runway. The incident occurred on Friday at the Broken Bow Municipal Airport, located approximately 298km southeast of Oklahoma City.
The victim has been identified as Samantha Hayes, 27, from Idabel, as per a report from the Oklahoma Highway Patrol (OHP).
James Baxter, the pilot of the involved single-engine Bonanza A36 aircraft, mentioned to investigators that he noticed Hayes just after landing on the runway around 2:30 pm. He tried to ascend and fly over her, but unfortunately, a wing of the plane struck her.
Sarah Stewart, an OHP spokesperson, stated on Monday that they are probing into the possibility of filing charges against Baxter. “We’re looking into whether this was a case of pilot error or if it was just an unfortunate and unavoidable event,” she commented.
Further aspects of the incident are still under investigation, such as if Hayes was wearing any reflective clothing and if she even noticed the approaching airplane.
The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is also conducting its own investigation to determine if there were any regulatory breaches concerning the pilot or the aircraft. As of now, the FAA and the Broken Bow city manager, who doubles as the airport manager, have not given any comments on the incident.