Jessica Dubroff incident
The Jessica Dubroff incident refers to the tragic plane crash on April 11, 1996, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, which resulted in the deaths of eight-year-old Jessica Dubroff, her father Lloyd, and her flight instructor Joe Reid. They were attempting to fly across the country in an effort to break the record for the youngest pilot to do so, amidst worsening weather conditions. Eyewitnesses reported that the plane struggled to gain altitude, ultimately crashing in a residential area. A subsequent investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board attributed the accident to a combination of pilot inexperience, fatigue, and possible overloading of the aircraft.
The incident sparked widespread debate about parental responsibility and the role of media in promoting risky endeavors involving children. Critics questioned whether Dubroff's parents had pushed her into a dangerous publicity stunt. The controversy garnered significant media attention, including a cover story from Time magazine questioning the circumstances surrounding her death. In response to the accident, Congress enacted the Child Pilot Safety Act in 1996, which established stricter requirements for young pilots. Jessica Dubroff is remembered for her adventurous spirit and the implications of her story continue to resonate in discussions about child safety and autonomy.
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Jessica Dubroff incident
Identification Seven-year-old pilot trainee killed in a plane crash while attempting to become the youngest person to pilot a cross-country flight
With her “Women Fly” baseball cap, Dubroff charmed the nation as she set out on the second leg of her cross-country flight from Cheyenne Airport. Moments after takeoff, her plane lay crumpled in a driveway, with Dubroff, her father, and her instructor dead on impact.
On the morning of April 11, 1996, in Cheyenne, Wyoming, Jessica Dubroff, her father, Lloyd, and her flight instructor, Joe Reid, attempted to outrun a worsening hail storm and to meet media obligations along the route. Witnesses said that the plane failed to achieve altitude, may have stalled, and plunged straight down in a residential neighborhood near the airport. The National Transportation Safety Board determined in a year-long investigation that Reid was ultimately responsible for “improper” decisions caused by fatigue and inexperience with high-altitude takeoff procedure. The Cessna 177B was probably one hundred pounds overweight, buffeted by shifting winds, and unable to accelerate enough to get more than four hundred feet off the ground.
Debate soon raged on talk radio and Internet sites about whether Dubroff’s parents, Lisa Blair Hathaway and Lloyd Dubroff, had pushed a dangerous publicity stunt upon their daughter or had been irresponsible in permitting her attempt. The Guinness Book of Records had ceased to recognize “youngest pilot” and similar categories years earlier to discourage dangerous exploits by children, but as San Francisco Chronicle columnist Joan Ryan observed, “We—the public and the media—adore tiny little champions.” Hathaway came under particularly scathing attack for her unconventional child rearing and insistence that Dubroff had lived her life well. Time magazine even published a cover story asking, “Who Killed Jessica Dubroff?”
Dubroff had been taking flight lessons for five months. She had 33.2 flight hours, with fifty takeoffs and landings, and required cushions to see over the control panel and extenders to reach the foot pedals. When her father suggested that she try to become the youngest person to pilot a plane coast to coast, Dubroff committed herself. The record required that she control the plane at all times, except in case of emergency. Since Dubroff’s eighth birthday was three weeks away, the record attempt may have influenced the adults’ better judgment.
Impact
Dubroff’s death inspired vigorous debate about the responsibility of parents, media, and authorities for children’s safety, and children’s competence to choose adventures. Congress passed the Child Pilot Safety Act in October, 1996, mandating that a person must have pilot and medical certification to control a plane involved in competition or an attempt to accomplish a feat or record. Dubroff is remembered as a smart, brave, and special person.
Bibliography
Farrey, Tom. Game On: The All-American Race to Make Champions of Our Children. New York: ESPN Books, 2008.
Tofler, Ian, and Theresa Foy DiGeronimo. Keeping Your Kids Out Front Without Kicking Them from Behind: How to Nurture High-Achieving Athletes, Scholars, and Performing Artists. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass, 2000.