Teen Killed in Plane Crash Mourned by Classmates

Images: The Virginia State Police released these photos Monday of the single-engine Piper that crashed Sunday morning in Orange County.

Students at a Spotsylvania County high school are mourning the loss of 16-year-old classmate Ryan Lee McCall, who died Sunday morning in a plane crash in Orange County.

A sophomore at Riverbend High School, McCall was flying solo in a single-engine plane that crashed in a field about a mile east of the Orange County Airport.

Investigators were expected to spend most of Monday at the scene as they continued to investigate. A cause of the crash has not been determined.

McCall was pronounced dead at the crash scene. His remains have been transported to the Office of the Medical Examiner for examination and autopsy, according to the Virginia State Police.

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) allows 16-year-old student airplane pilots to make solo flights, according to The Associated Press.

Friends and classmates of McCall took to Twitter on Sunday using the hashtags #RIPRyan and #RIPRyanMcCall to offer their condolences and share memories, according to WJLA Channel 7, a Washington, D.C., TV station.

Spotsylvania schools said counselors would be available to students and staff Monday morning at Riverbend High School, according to WTVR Channel 6, a Richmond TV station. The school system released the following statement:

“We were very saddened to hear the news about the death of Riverbend High Sophomore Ryan McCall. Ryan will be deeply missed. The Riverbend leadership team is working closely with the counseling staff to address the concerns of our entire educational community as we cope with this loss,” Rene Daniels, a spokeswoman for the Spotsylvania County Public Schools, said in a statement quoted by WTVR.

“We will have additional counseling staff in place on Monday, March 30th and the coming days as necessary to support our students and staff,” Daniels said. “Our thoughts are with the McCall family during this very difficult time.”

The McCall family is requesting privacy as they grieve, WTVR said.

McCall was flying a 1974 Piper, identified as model PA28140, according to the Virginia State Police, and he was the lone occupant.

Investigators from the Virginia State Police, the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will remain on the scene Monday before the wreckage is removed, said Corinne Geller, a state police spokeswoman.