Skilled Aviator Jeff Hefner ID'd as Pilot in Virginia Plane Crash
The former Southwest captain leaves behind his wife, children, and many friends and family
Most of you are probably aware of the tragic plane crash in Virginia on Sunday, when an unresponsive Cessna 560 Citation meant to be cruising from East Tennessee to Long Island, New York, went off course and was intercepted by supersonic military fighter jets safeguarding Washington, D.C. airspace.
Late last night it was confirmed that its pilot was Jeff Hefner, a friend and ally to some of you, and also a friend of The Landing (and the only male pilot paid subscriber).
While I can’t say I knew him well, a few months ago he generously gave me hours of his time in a wide-ranging interview about the U.S. airline industry and how women are treated within it.
He had come across this newsletter and we connected soon after. He talked about his determination to make safety in air travel a priorty, and as transparent as possible, throughout his career (if you think that’s the obvious default M.O., ask author and retired Delta Capt. Karlene Petitt how hard it is to get those in power to listen to and act on pilots’ safety concerns).
He remarked in depth about how the stories women have shared on The Landing about their harassment, stalking, assaults and rape while on the job sounded all to familiar to him as someone who’d witnessed such behavior while on the job. He shared his experiences and knowledge of what women in the U.S. airline industry face. His was an important voice.
Again, I can’t say I knew him, but I can relay the positive things other colleagues have said to me about Jeff, as well as what I took away from our phone call. He made me laugh despite the heavy topics we discussed. He made liberal use of Texas-style similes and had a way with colorful turns of phrase.
I had planned on using bits of that interview in various stories in the coming months, and I’m not sure how that will play out now.
Predictably, conspiracy theories about this mysterious crash have already kicked into gear on social media. I’m glad to be able to say that most subscribers here are not people who will engage in anything like that. To do so at this stage is unwise, hard on the family and friends, and unnecessary.
We do know what officials have said thusfar, which is they have a suspicion that perhaps there was a depressurization of the aircraft and all four souls on board were rendered unconscious due to hypoxia, leaving the plane to fly on autopilot until it ran out of fuel and tragically crashed into a remote area near Waynesboro, Virginia, killing everyone on board.
Jeff was seen slumped at the controls by the pilots that intercepted the aircraft, according to news reports.
There’s not much more I can say right now, as it’s his family’s place to share what they want when they want to, but I did want to let subscribers know of his death for those who might not know.
I will say that I’m having that all-too-human reaction of knowing this is certainly not my loss, yet feeling upset, sad and shocked nonetheless. And so I wanted to acknowledge the loss of this skilled aviator, father and husband and my hope that the cause of the crash is found soon and that his family is given space and privacy to grieve.
I will leave you with one quote I feel comfortable sharing.
Jeff, reflecting on the way he was raised, said, "Your handshake was your bond. You looked the man in the eye and did what you just agreed to do, period. And if you didn’t, you had no integrity. I come from a family of ranchers. Not everybody thinks like that."
Please leave any thoughts, prayers and best wishes for Jeff and his family in the comments.
—Sara