A family planning to attend an event at the Homestead Resort in Hot Springs died when the twin-engine IAI Astra 1125 aircraft they were in crashed near Ingalls Field Airport in Bath County on Sunday.
The victims were identified as 39-year-old Alfredo Diez of Miami, Fla., his wife Kseniia Shanina, and 3-year-old son Nicolás, according to La Voz de Galicia, a Spanish newspaper.
Diez was from a small town called Betanzos in Northwestern Spain.
Diez was the CEO of Atlantis Aviation with a base airfield in Fort Lauderdale, Fla. His Facebook page also shows he owned a charter flight company, Sky Jets Elite.
In addition to the family, two pilots also died in the crash: Claudio Colmenares and Gagan Reddy, both from South Florida.
According to the FAA, the crash occurred around 3 p.m. on Sunday.
Virginia State Police said the plane was short on its approach to the runway, struck trees and then the hillside before catching on fire. There were no survivors.
According to multiple reports, there were strong wind gusts at the time of the accident. It is unknown if that was a factor in the crash.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.
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Chris Graham
