Flying planes was Viktoria Theresie Izabelle Ljungman’s passion. Hailing from Sweden, she received a tennis scholarship to attend Hampton University in Virginia. Later on, she worked as a pilot. She had always dreamed of becoming a pilot, but after college, her goals changed. Now 23, she was determined to become a licensed flight instructor. But then, during one of her students’ flying lessons, an error in the sky led to a fatal crash.
The beginner-level student pilot, age 18, flew the small plane at too sharp of an angle during takeoff, which resulted in Ljungman’s death. The Cessna 172 then stopped and fell from about 100 feet when the instructor couldn’t control the aircraft that was falling rapidly.
Ljungman, the student pilot Oluwagbohunmi Ayomide Oyebode, and an unidentified 18-year-old student were aboard the small plane. The aircraft crashed into a ditch at Newport News-Williamsburg Airport.
Tragically, Ljungman did not survive the accident and passed away at the scene. The other two student pilots, both 18 years old, were taken to Riverside Regional Medical Center with serious injuries. Oyebode was moved later to VCU Medical Center in Richmond, Virginia.
The two General Aviation student pilots who were injured in the crash landing are both students at Hampton University. The school has an alliance with Newport News-Williamsburg International Airport, which is where the accident took place.
On her Instagram account “viktoriathepilot,” Viktoria posted about and shared photos/videos of herself following her career path to becoming an airline pilot.
Viktoria’s former roommate, Myana Mabry, said in a local news interview (WAVY) that she was the nicest person she has met in 20 years. Her friend liked to brag about Viktoria for following her dreams – a dream which unfortunately ended too soon as Viktoria is now deceased. She will be missed by everyone who had the pleasure of knowing her.
“To know, hey, my roommate is a legend. Not a legend in the making, but a legend,” she stated. “It was just so rewarding to see her dreams become a reality.”
