Oklahoma single mom-of-three, 27, is struck and killed by PLANE wing after aircraft came into land while she was riding lawnmower at airport
A single mother of three from Oklahoma, 27, is struck and killed by an airplane wing after a plane landed while she was riding a lawnmower at the airport
- The pilot, 70-year-old James Baxter, was flying a 1972 Bananza A36 preparing to land on the runway at Broken Bow Airport
- Suddenly he saw the woman, Samantha Hayes, on her mower in the field around the runway
- Baxter attempted to pull up to get the wing over Hayes, but failed and fatally struck her in the head with the plane’s wing
A 27-year-old Oklahoma woman and mother of three was killed after she was struck by the wing of a plane trying to land at a small municipal airport while driving a lawn mower in the field along the runway.
The pilot, 70-year-old James Baxter, was flying a 1972 Bananza A36 and was preparing to land on the runway at Broken Bow Airport when he spotted the woman, Samantha Hayes, on her mower in the field.
Baxter tried to pull up to get the wing over Hayes, but was unable to do so and fatally struck her in the head with the plane’s wing, the Oklahoma Highway Patrol said.
Authorities say Hayes was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash from head injuries.
It is unclear whether Hayes worked at Broken Bow, a sparsely populated municipal airport without air traffic control, according to a social media commenter.
Samantha Hayes, a 27-year-old Oklahoma woman and mother of three, was killed after she was struck by the wing of a plane trying to land at a small municipal airport
The pilot, 70-year-old James Baxter, was flying a 1972 Bananza A36 and was preparing to land on the runway at Broken Bow Airport when he spotted the woman, Samantha Hayes, on her mower in the field surrounding the runway.
On Facebook, Hayes was remembered as a loving friend and devoted mother to her three children.
“Samantha Hayes was an amazing mother to her three babies! She was a single mother who worked hard to give them a safe and loving home! These babies knew they were loved all day long!’ wrote Darlene Tadleigh, a friend.
“Those babies will know how much their mother loved them. We never know when these things are going to happen, but they can and they did for her.”
“God knew there was a 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 if it’s hard to understand,” she added .
Carley Hayes wrote: ‘You were one of the sweetest people I have ever met, I never heard you say a swear word or put anyone down. You were so full of life and had a whole life ahead of you with your precious babies.”
“You’ve got a whole family that’s going to make sure the babies are okay, I promise.”
‘I’m so angry and upset that I just don’t understand it at all. You were literally my best friend and I’m so grateful for all the memories we have that I feel like they weren’t enough,” Hayes added.
Baxter, the pilot, was not injured. The F.A.A has no age limits for people to fly planes, although commercial airlines are prohibited from hiring anyone over the age of 65.
Authorities say Hayes was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash from head injuries
On Facebook, Hayes was remembered as a loving friend and devoted mother to her three children
No further information about Baxter has been revealed and no charges have been filed against him.
DailyMail.com has contacted the Oklahoma Department of Public Safety for further comment.
The incident is still under investigation.