Student-Pilot Was Flying Small Plane When It Crashed, Killing Instructor, Police Say
A 23-year-old flight instructor from Virginia died on Thursday afternoon when a student crashed a small plane after causing it to stall during take-off.
Instructor Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman died at the scene, while 18-year-old student-pilot Oluwagbohunmi Ayomide Oyebode and another 18-year-old passenger, who has not been named, were seriously injured, Virginia State Police told PEOPLE.
In a statement, police said Oyebode "attempted to pull the aircraft up at too steep of an angle," causing the plane to stall in mid-air after taking off from Newport News-Williamsburg Airport. The plane, a single-engine Cessna 172, had reached an altitude of about 100 feet before it crashed, the Associated Press reported.
Oyebode and the second student both attend Hampton University, a private university in Virginia, per the Daily Press. Both men had life-threatening injuries and were taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center after the accident. Oyebode was later transferred to VCU Medical Center.
Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman/Instagram
The outlet said Ljungman graduated from Hampton and was a former member of the university's tennis team. She was originally from Sweden, CBS affiliate WTKR reported, and worked for Rick Aviation, which had partnered with Hampton University's aviation program.
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PEOPLE reached out to Rick Aviation and Hampton University for comment on Monday afternoon.
According to Simply Flying, a small plane can stall when its angle is increased to the point where airflow around its wings is disrupted. A pilot can correct the stall by pushing the aircraft's snout down to reduce its angle, but it is more challenging to execute when the plane is already at a low altitude.
Ljungman often shared photographs and videos on her Instagram page that showed her flights around the country. The page became a memorial to Ljungman as friends and loved ones left tributes on the page shortly after her death.
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"The sweetest soul I met at Hampton," one person wrote of Ljungman. "Not exaggerating at all."
Added another: "I am so sorry for your loved ones, and I pray your next journey is one of peace and light. Keep flying."
A post on the page showed that Ljungman became a certified flight instructor in April.
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"We were really each other's family," former Hampton tennis player Charlie Hudson told the Daily Press. "I remember when I first met her, that's all she ever wanted to do. She wanted to be a commercial pilot."
"I don't remember her ever not smiling," he added. "She was just contagious in her energy, just lovely to be around."
