Samantha Hayes Oklahoma woman riding lawn mower hit & killed by small plane landing at regional airport. Pilot id as James Baxter who had attempted to pull up at last minute only to hit woman with plane’s wing.
A woman riding a lawn mower was struck and killed by a small plane as it came in to land at a regional Oklahoma airport.
Samantha Hayes, 27, of Idabel, OK, died after being struck by the wing of an incoming 1972 Bananza A36 at Broken Bow Airport on Friday.
The pilot, 70-year-old James Baxter, was preparing to land on the runway when he noticed Hayes, on her mower in the field.
Did pilot have clearance to land and right of way?
Baxter attempted to pull up to get the wing over Hayes but failed to do so, fatally striking her in the head with the wing of the plane, according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.
Hayes, a single mom of three was pronounced dead at the scene of the accident due to head injuries, KFOR reported.
It’s unclear whether Hayes worked at Broken Bow, which is believed to be a sparsely populated municipal airport with no air traffic control.
Baxter, the pilot, was not injured. The FAA has no age limits for people to fly planes, though commercial airlines are banned from employing anyone over the age of 65. Questions remained as to how Hayes came to be on the field and whether Baxter had legal clearance to land.
‘Single mom who worked hard to give 3 kids a loving home’
News of Hayes death led to commiseration being expressed on social media.
Posted Darlene Tadleigh, a friend on Facebook, ‘Samantha Hayes was a wonderful great mom to her 3 babies! She was a single mom who worked hard to give them a safe and loving home! These babies knew they were loved everyday all day! Them babies will know how much their momma loved them. We never know when these things are gonna happen but they can and for her it did. God knew is plan for her and it’s hard for us to process because she was still needed here but his ways are higher than our ways even when it’s hard to understand. Please keep the prayers coming for her family.’
No further information has been revealed about Baxter and no charges have been filed against him.
The incident remains under investigation.
