HAPPENED ON SAN JOSE BOULEVARD IN THE GOODBY’S NEIGHBORHOOD ON THE SOUTH SIDE, WE HAVE A
CREW HEADED TO THE SCENE.
>>KENT JUSTICE: WE’RE LEARNING
MORE TONIGHT ABOUT THE PILOT
WHO DIED AFTER HER PLANE CRASH
NEAR THE AIRPORT IN SAINT
AUGUSTINE FAMILY AND FRIENDS
IDENTIFIED HER AS 49 YEAR-OLD
MARY ANN FOX. SHE’S FROM
OREGON. THIS IS A PICTURE OF
HER AND HER FIANCE WHO IS ALSO
A PILOT. ONE OF BEST FRIENDS
BACK IN OREGON SAYS FOX WAS
DEDICATED TO AEROBATICS.
>> SHE WAS OUT THERE JUST
FACING HER FEARS AND NOT ONLY
THROUGH, YOU KNOW, JUST THE
NERVES JUST TO GO AND AND
BETTER HERSELF AS A PILOT.
>>KENT JUSTICE: NEWS 4 JAX
REPORTER ERIK AVANIER JOINING
US LIVE WITH MORE ON THE LIFE
OF MARY ANN FOX AND HOW HER
TRAGIC DEATH IS IMPACTING THE
PILOTING COMMUNITY.
>> WELL, CAT FRIENDS OF MARY
ANN FOX SAY SHE DIED DOING
WHAT SHE LOVED, WHICH WAS
FLYING AN AIRPLANE AN AIRPLANE
BUT NOW APPEARS TO HAVE
EXPERIENCED ENGINE PROBLEMS
BEFORE IT CRASHED.
>> THE PEOPLE WHO KNEW 49
YEAR-OLD MARY ANN SHE LIVED A
MEANINGFUL LIFE WITH PURPOSE
AND THAT PURPOSE WAS TO EXCEL
IN THE SPORT OF AEROBATICS.
SHE JUST TOOK OFF FOR RATE AT
WHICH SHE ADVANCED TO HER
SKILL IS VERY REMARKABLE SHAPE
SURPASSED ME. AND I’VE BEEN
FLYING LONGER THAN SHE HAS.
BUT THEN SHE I WAS SAYING OR
DO THINGS THAT I WAS TOO
SCARED TO DO. FOXES LIFE
TRAGICALLY ENDED THURSDAY
MORNING IN THE HOSPITAL AFTER
SHE WAS CRITICALLY INJURED IN
THIS PLANE CRASH WEDNESDAY
AFTERNOON.
>> AEROBATIC CHAMPION AND
CURRENT INTERNATIONAL
AEROBATIC CLUB VICE PRESIDENT
ROB HOLLAND ISSUED A STATEMENT
THAT READS SHE WAS AND ALWAYS
WILL BE A BELOVED MEMBER OF
THE AEROBATIC AVIATION
COMMUNITY. WE ARE SADDENED BY
HER LOSS BUT WILL ALWAYS
CHERISH HER MEMORY AND THE
WAYS SHE TOUCHED OUR LIVES IN
A POSITIVE WAY. MOMENTS BEFORE
THE CRASH THAT CLAIMED HER
LIFE. FOX AND ANOTHER PILOT
WHO WAS FLYING A SEPARATE
PLANE BEHIND OR AIRCRAFT
DECLARED AN
>> A WITNESS WHO SAW BOTH
PLANES FLY OVER HIS HOUSE ON
APPROACH TO THE AIRPORT SAYS
THE LI PLANE’S ENGINE DIDN’T
SOUND RIGHT. SOUNDS VERY
UNUSUAL. SOUNDED LIKE WAS
WRONG. VERY ROUGH NEWS FOR JAX
AVIATION EXPERT ED BOOTH SAYS
THE ENGINE SOUND IS AN
IMPORTANT DETAIL FOR
INVESTIGATORS. THE NTSB.
>> WE’LL LOOK AT THE ENGINE IN
GREAT DETAIL AND DETERMINE IF
THERE ANY CONDITIONS THAT
WOULD HAVE PREVENTED IT FROM.
>> DEVELOPING NORMAL POWER,
FOX WAS CLEARED TO LAND BUT
SOMETHING WENT TERRIBLY WRONG
IN THE AIR. TRAFFIC CONTROL
OPERATOR. NEW IT LIKE YOU
TRIED TO PUT IT DOWN BOXES.
PLANE CRASHED INTO A MARSH
AREA 600 YARDS FROM THE END OF
THE RUNWAY.
>> THOSE WORTH POINTING OUT
THAT AFTER FOX CRASH, HE WAS
STILL IN COMMUNICATION WITH
AIR TRAFFIC CONTROL KEPT
TELLING HER THAT HELP WAS ON
THE WAY. NOW, WHEN THEY DID
EVENTUALLY GET TO THEY PULLED
HER OUT OF THE PLANE, TOOK IT
TO THE HOSPITAL. BUT
UNFORTUNATELY, SHE DIED MUCH
LATER IN THE HOSPITAL
REPORTING LIVE FROM OUTSIDE
SOUTHEAST REGIONAL AIRPORT IN
SAINT AUGUSTINE. ERIK AVANIER,
CHANNEL 4, THE LOCAL STATION
JUST BROUGHT UP SOME. I WANT
TO ASK ABOUT HOW LONG DID IT
TAKE FIRST RESPONDERS TO GET
THERE AND TRY TO HELP OFF THE
AIRPORT? YOU SAID 600 YARDS.
>> YOU KNOW, CAN’T. THAT’S A
VERY INTERESTING QUESTION
BECAUSE FIRE AND RESCUE
SPOKESPERSON COULD NOT GIVE ME
THE EXACT TIME IT TOOK GET HER
OUT OF THE PLANE OR EVEN GET
TO BUT SEVERAL FOLKS IN THE
PILOTS AND COMMUNITY FLY OUT
OF THIS AIRPORT ARE SAYING
THAT IT TOOK TOO LONG. NOW,
FARM RESCUE SAY THAT IT WAS IT
WAS NOT A SIMPLE PROCESS
BECAUSE FIRST OF ALL, THEY HAD
TO USE AN AIR BOAT TO GET TO
HER BEAR IN MIND THAT THE FOR
AIRPLANE FROM OF THE EDGE OF
THE RUNWAY, THE 600 FEET.
THAT’S LIKE THAT’S LIKE 6
FOOTBALL FIELDS AND AND THEN
THEY STILL HAD REMOVE HER FROM
THE WRECKAGE BECAUSE SHE WAS
TRAPPED IN THE COCKPIT. SO
THEY HAD TO LITERALLY POP,
LITERALLY PRY OPEN THE PLANE
TO GET HER OUT.