Plane crash victims’ update

There’s nothing new at this point on the investigation of Monday’s plane crash in Fauquier County, but here are a couple of updates on those involved.

Thomas Proven, the 70-year-old Broad Run man who survived the midair collision and crash-landed in a nearby field, has been released from Mary Washington Hospital. He was actually released Wednesday, but the hospital provided incorrect information on his status.

Thomas Proven crash-landed his plane in a Fauquier County field.

Also, there are a few more details on the two men who died in the other plane, which split apart in the air and caught fire before plummeting to the ground.

Paul Gardella Jr., 57, of Burke, was mentioned in a tweet by the National Capital Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, according to fellow FLS reporter Daniel McFarland.

McFarland added that “Gardella was chief flight instructor for Aviation Adventures, a flight school in Warrenton. He was also a Standardization Evaluation Officer for the National Capital Wing of the Civil Air Patrol.”

Gardella has a quote on his LinkedIn page: “I have a passion for flying, teaching people to fly, and helping pilots to be better, safer pilots.”

Concerning the other person on the plane, Dr. James Duncan, 60, of Maryland, McFarland reports:

Dr. Duncan was (in 2007) the Chief of Space Medicine at the Johnson Space Center in Houston.  He has been a flight surgeon for NASA in the Space Shuttle program, and was lead crew surgeon for Expedition 6 to the International Space Station.  He was currently the Chief Medical Officer of the NTSB.  He was an instrument rated private pilot.

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