On October 20, a small airplane crashed in northern California, leading to the death of two people.
The incident occurred in the rural location of the 21000 block of Airport Road in Covelo, California, around 6 pm.
Following the crash, the Mendocino County Sheriff’s Office made a public statement, reporting that the plane, a Beechcraft A-36, caught fire shortly after departing from the Round Valley Airport in Covelo. After the fire was contained, officials located the bodies of the two deceased passengers.
The victims have since been identified as Vaughn Wesley Porter, 54, of North Highlands, Utah, and Jaime Redford Rust, 52, of Payson, Utah. Porter, who had over 30 years of experience in the field, was piloting the plane at the time of the accident. Notably, he was an experienced JetBlue pilot. It is understood that the two were in a relationship, with Porter starting to date Rust after the passing of his wife due to COVID-19 in January 2022.
It was revealed by Kyle, Porter’s son, that decades prior, Porter’s father had also met with a fatal airplane accident, crashing into the side of a mountain. As a mark of respect and to honor his father, Porter had purchased the same type of airplane, which, unfortunately, he too crashed in.
The family, while grappling with this unexpected loss, highlighted the void left by Porter, especially after the passing of their mother. Kyle expressed the family’s grief, stating, “I feel like we’re all mourning her loss just as much as my dad. We cared about her a lot. She cared about us a lot.”
In the aftermath of the incident, GoFundMe pages have been set up for both victims. Shaun, another son of Vaughn’s, established a fundraising campaign to cover the funeral expenses for his father. Additionally, the funds will assist in transporting Vaughn from California to Utah for his burial, where he will be laid to rest beside his late wife. Shaun shared a touching message on the page, “After losing our mom unexpectedly last year our dad stepped up admirably to fill the gaping hole left in our family without her.”
A separate fundraising initiative was also launched in memory of Rust. Jaime Redford Rust leaves behind three children and several grandchildren.
The National Transportation Safety Board has taken charge of the investigation.