A tragic incident occurred at a small airport in Broken Bow, Oklahoma, on a Friday afternoon, resulting in the loss of an Oklahoma woman’s life after she was struck by a small plane.

Samantha Hayes, a 27-year-old employee of the city of Broken Bow’s parks department, was operating a lawn mower at the Broken Bow Airport when the pilot of a 1972 Bonanza A36, identified as James Baxter, 70, executed a landing on the runway around 2:30 p.m., according to the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

Upon touching down on the runway, Baxter noticed Hayes on the lawn mower and attempted to raise the plane and maneuver the wing away from her, NBC News reported.

Tragically, the wing made contact with her head, resulting in her untimely demise.

Due to the severe head injury, Hayes was declared dead at the scene. Fortunately, Baxter emerged unharmed from the crash, as confirmed by the Oklahoma Highway Patrol.

An ongoing investigation is being conducted to ascertain the details of the incident.

Written by staff