A well-respected pilot with over 11 years of flying experience died tragically when her single-engine plane crashed in Heyburn, Idaho, 90 minutes into her flight.
Brittney Infanger, 30, who was flying UPS packages from Salt Lake City, Utah, to Burly, Idaho, died instantly when the single-engine 208B plane she was flying crashed into a large chimney on a potato processing plant in Idaho around 8:30 am on Wednesday 13 April 2022.
Distraught parents of the victim, Jim Bob and Sharon Infanger are demanding the close of Burley Airport where the incident occurred, saying their daughter knew the area well and blame the positioning of the chimney which sits near the airports landing strip.
As told to local news outlet EastIdahonews.com Mr Infanger said ‘There’s a 60-foot chimney sticking out of the of the food processing plant – no lights on it, dead center – straight across the runway. So whenever you come in, you have to fly over the top of this and drop down.’
Mr Infanger, who is also a pilot, added that other pilots have begged for the relocation of the Gem State Processing Plant chimney which sits on the bank of the Snake River opposite the airport.
Authorities on the scene confirmed Brittney was the sole victim of the crash, with Heyburn Police and Minidoka County Sheriff’s Office stating that Brittney was flying too low while attempting to land.
An investigation into the crash has been launched by The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Her parents are heartbroken by the loss of their daughter in such tragic circumstances, remembering Brittney as someone who made the people she met feel important and loved, saying ‘It’s devastating that she’s gone’, with her mother adding ‘I’m just reflecting on the amazing life she had.’
‘She always loved flying, and now she has her wings.’
