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Follow-up and on the pilot who was killed in Thursday's plane crash in Louisa Date published: 3/6/2010
BY PORTSIA SMITH
The pilot who died when his small plane crashed into a house in the town of Louisa Thursday has been identified by friends as James "Jay" Youngquist of Reston. Colleagues said he was on his way to Danville to umpire a college baseball game. The retired 62-year-old owned a lake house in Lakeshore Woods on Lake Anna and served as secretary-treasurer for the community's homeowners association. He had also transported former Gov. Tim Kaine by plane during his 2005 campaign. Friends described him as an extraordinary person and pilot. "He was a wonderful man, and it won't be the same without him," said a close friend, Boo Perkins of Fairfax. She said their families would celebrate Independence Day at Lake Anna and set off fireworks in the summer and would meet up in Northern Virginia during the winter holidays. She said Youngquist's widow, Kathryn, and their three sons are still in shock. Randy Cassada of Alexandria is on the board "He does so much for the neighborhood," he said. "He took care of the Web site he would repair things. There's nobody that can replace him." State Police Sgt. Thomas Molnar said the plane crashed into a home at 128 Jefferson Highway in the town of Louisa Thursday afternoon. The 1981 Cessna T303 Crusader had been filled with 148 gallons of fuel at the a Louisa County airport minutes before crashing about a quarter of a mile from the airport, Molnar said. He said the plane nose- dived into the house to the right of the front door. The homeowner had walked down to the basement moments before the crash and walked away unharmed, Molnar said. Youngquist was an instrument-rated pilot and was flying the six-seat aircraft alone from Manassas en route to Danville, where he was scheduled to umpire a baseball game at Averett University. Drew Wilson, sports information director at Averett, said they had a moment of silence in Youngquist's honor when the game started at 3 p.m. "Everybody was in agreement that it was a pretty somber atmosphere," Wilson said. Mid-Atlantic Collegiate Commissioner John Porter is in charge of the umpire organization that Youngquist had worked for since 2004.
Maybe this pilot did some good things in his life, but he still violated the rights and endangered the lives of every single innocent homeowner whose homes he buzzed. This incident was inevitable, and the same, or worse, will happen this year near the Stafford Airport because those who use that airport are the most reckless, ignorant, and cowardly people around. That homeowner had the right to be safe in his home, but that pilot took that away, and, but for the grace of God, would have taken his life.
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