A small single-engine Cessna 210 crashed Friday afternoon near Williamsburg Landing, a retirement home in James City County, killing both passengers and their dog.
The Virginia State Police have identified the pilot as 54-year-old Joseph D. Brown IV and his passenger as 52-year-old Susan S. Brown, his wife. They have a Nebraska address, although Joseph Brown worked in Washington, D.C.
Joseph D. Brown IV was an accomplished pilot. Last November he returned to Walsingham Academy, his alma mater, to talk with some third-graders about the importance of service. He told them how he’d been inspired to fly because of the Apollo missions, building model rockets as a hobby. Read about his visit here.
Brown received his U.S. Air Force commission in 1980 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute and earned the rank of Major General. He had served since October 2010 as the commandant of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy at the National Defense University in Washington, D.C.
The cause of the crash is currently unknown. A news release from the Virginia State Police said the plane was to land at the nearby Williamsburg-James City airport when the crash occurred.
Joseph Brown was a 1976 graduate of Walsingham Academy in Williamsburg. Mary Johnston, the Lower School Director of Curriculum Development, released a statement on behalf of the school Saturday.
“As a fellow classmate from Walsingham Academy’s graduating Class of 1976, I saw Joseph go out into the world and share his values and convictions,” Johnston said. “Joseph has always been a man of honor and took great pride in his military service. He was always willing to give back to his ‘Walsingham Family’ and the community at large, inspiring our youth to greatness. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the Brown family for the tragic loss of Mr. and Mrs. Joseph D. Brown IV.”
The plane crashed around 5 p.m. in the Williamsburg Landing neighborhood of Boatwright Circle, which is composed of mostly duplex homes. The plane crashed on a grassy area that measures about 10 feet by 50 feet, missing a nearby home.
The National Transportation Board is expected to arrive on scene today. The Federal Aviation Administration responded to the scene Friday evening, according to the release. The Virginia State Police typically handle the investigation Virginia’s aviation accidents.
The crash did not cause a fire, but units were standing by in case the aviation fuel does catch fire during the rescue and cleanup.
Williamsburg Landing is near the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport and adjacent to College Creek, near Route 199.
