Virginia flight instructor, 23, killed during flight lesson after a student caused the plane to stall and crash

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Virginia flight instructor, 23, killed during flight lesson after a student caused the plane to stall and crash
Viktoria Ljungman/Instagram
  • Viktoria Ljungman, 23, was killed after the plane stalled and crashed during a flight lesson.
  • Oluwagbohunmi Oyebode, 18, pointed the nose of the plane too high, causing it to stall, police say.
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A Swedish flight instructor was killed during a flight lesson in Virginia when a student made an error that caused the small plane to stall and crash.

On Thursday, 23-year-old licensed commercial pilot, Viktoria Ljungman, began a flight lesson with two Hampton University students at Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport where Ljungman worked as an instructor, according to the Daily Mail.

The fatal crash occurred after 18-year-old Oluwagbohunmi Oyebode attempted to pull the single-engine Cessna 172 plane up at too steep of an angle while 100 feet in the air, according to a statement from Virginia State Police.

Virginia flight instructor, 23, killed during flight lesson after a student caused the plane to stall and crash
Courtesy of Erin Miller

Both Oyebode and another 18-year-old student on-board, who has not been identified, suffered life-threatening injuries. Ljungman was pronounced dead on the scene.

Ljungman lived in Williamsburg after graduating from Hampton University where she played on the tennis team. She got her license to teach flight lessons in April, Daily Press reports.

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According to HBCU Gameday, the two students were taking aviation lessons as part of Hampton University's partnership with the Rick Aviation Flight School.

Ljungman was remembered as "intelligent, beautiful, adventurous, punctual, (and) a risk taker" by her former college roommate.

The university released a statement on the crash.

"Hampton University is aware of the unfortunate accident that occurred today involving two of our students. The exact cause of the accident is under investigation," a university spokesperson said after the crash, according to local news.

"Out of respect for the students and their families we have no further comment at this time."

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