14 DAY TRIAL // A World War II era plane crashed on Wednesday near Galveston, killing both people aboard. The victims have been identified as a pilot based in Denton and a UK passenger.
The airplane was a P-51 Mustang dubbed the "Galveston Gal." It was made in 1944 and turned into a two-seat, dual-control TF-51 in the 60s.
According to KHOU, 66-year-old John Stephen Busby had traveled to Texas with his wife and paid for a ride on the vintage plane. It was their 41st wedding anniversary.
51-year-old pilot Keith Hibbett had many flying hours on record, and officials believe that a mechanical error may have caused the crash. The aircraft is owned by the Lone Start Flight Museum.
“He’s been one of our senior pilots for over a decade. He flies everything we have, so he’s a very experienced, former military aviator,” museum president Larry Gregory describes.
“This is by far one of the most difficult things I’ve ever gone through. Our pilot was like a brother to me. He’s taught me a lot about flying and everything else. It’s just devastating,” he says.
The aircraft went down at around 11:40 a.m., near Galveston's West End in Brazoria County.
“We saw the water spraying up in the air, but we never saw what it was. We never saw a plane go down or anything, so we didn’t think anything like a plane. We just figured it was a boat,” witness Jennifer Spaulding recalls.
FAA spokesperson Lynn Lunsford details that the pilot has not contacted the control tower before impact.
“We’re just assuming something equipment-wise happened to the plane that caused them to go down,” Sgt. John Sampa, a spokesman for the Texas Department of Public Safety says.
“The airplane was meticulously maintained,” Gregory adds, as reported by Galveston Daily News.