The identity of a passenger who was killed following severe turbulence has been named as a former White House official who served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations.
On Friday (March 3) the FBI launched an investigation after a private business jet was hit by severe turbulence which resulted in an extremely rare death.
Five people were onboard the aircraft at the time, and the passenger's death forced an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport in Connecticut.
Officials attended the Bombardier executive jet once it had landed and one passenger was taken by ambulance to a nearby hospital.
Connecticut State Troopers have named the deceased passenger as Dana J. Hyde, 55, a prominent Washington, D.C. lawyer who was a former White House official who also served on the 9/11 commission, per NBC News.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating Hyde's tragic death, and her body remains with the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner.
The private jet was traveling from Keene, New Hampshire, to Leesburg, Virginia, before it diverted to Bradley International Airport.
The Daily Mail reported that the flight data shows that the jet took off at around 3:35 PM and reached a peak altitude of 26,000 feet before landing approximately 10 minutes later after hitting turbulence.
The aircraft is owned by a company called Conexon which specializes in expanding high-speed internet service to rural communities and is headed by Jonathan Chambers, Hyde's husband.
Abby Carere, a spokesperson for the company revealed, via NBC: "We can confirm that the aircraft was owned by Conexon and that Dana Hyde was the wife of Conexon partner Jonathan Chambers. Jonathan and his son were on the flight also and not injured in the incident."
It is currently unknown if the passengers were wearing seatbelts at the time of the incident and NTSB investigators are currently carrying out interviews with two crew members and two surviving passengers to attempt to understand how the tragedy occurred.
Hyde worked at the Aspen Institute's Partnership for an Inclusive Economy and Jon Purves, a spokesman for the organization confirmed that the 55-year-old was a part-time consultant and issued a statement via NBC.
"During her time with us, Dana was a brilliant and generous colleague who worked closely with programs across the organization to build partnerships and enhance our collective work," Purves said.
He continued: "The thoughts of our entire Aspen Institute community are with Dana’s family and loved ones."
Turbulence often causes anxiety among fliers, despite being a common occurrence, but pilots are aided by technology that will direct them around areas that are experiencing storms and temperatures that will create turbulence.
When encountering turbulence on a passenger plane, the pilot may choose to activate the fasten seatbelts sign for the safety of those onboard.
Turbulence rarely causes injury and deaths due to turbulence are even more unusual, with the Federal Aviation Authority stating that between 2009 and 2020 there were no deaths caused by turbulence, and only 30 serious injuries to passengers were reported.
Our thoughts are with Hyde's family and friends at this time.
