2 Flight Nurses, Including Wife of Retired Fire Chief, Among Victims of San Diego Plane Crash

Laurie Gentz.Photo: IAEP

According to the San Diego County Sheriff’s Department, the small plane was on its way to Gillespie Field Airport in San Diego County when it crashed just after 7 p.m. local time. There were no survivors.

Aninitial reportfrom the Federal Aviation Administration stated that there were two flight crew members and two passengers aboard the Learjet 35 aircraft at the time of the fatal crash.

Although authorities have yet to release the names of the victims, sources told localCBS affiliate KFMBthat two pilots and two nurses were killed in the crash.

One of the flight nurses was identified as Tina Ward, the wife of former Oceanside Fire Department Deputy Chief Joe Ward, whoretired in November, according to a social media post from The Oceanside Firefighters Association.

“It is with heavy hearts that the Oceanside Fire Department and their fire family would like to extend our deepest condolences to our recently retired Chief Ward, his family, and all family and friends of the Aeromedevac flight crew N88OZ,” theywrotein a post on Tuesday, alongside a series of images of Tina and her husband.

Aeromedevac is an air ambulance company based in El Cajon, the San Diego suburb where the crash took place, according toNBC News.

Tina Ward.Oceanside Firefighters Association Local 3736/Instagram

Laurie Gentz was also identified as a victim of the crash, according to theInternational Association of EMTs and Paramedics.

The post included an image of Gentz standing with three other individuals, one of whom appeared to be Tina Ward. (The same photo was also included in The Oceanside Firefighters Association’s post mourning Ward’s death.)

According to herLinkedIn profile, Gentz worked as a flight nurse for Flight Nurse at Aeromedevac.

The company went on to release a statement on social media Wednesday,writing"with a heavy heart we mourn the lives of our friends and our family."

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According to the National Transportation Safety Board, which is also investigating the crash, the pilot “requested a change” to their landing while the plane made its approach to the small airport at Gillespie Field. Shortly after the plane received clearance from Air Control to land, the aircraft “crashed into a residential areaabout 1.4 miles from the approach end of the runway.”

source: people.com