:: Flying Way :: - Woman killed in crash had taken birthday flight with boss

Saturday, March 20, 2010
By JON NIELSEN / The Dallas Morning News

About 15 minutes before she died in a plane crash Thursday on Lewisville Lake, Kristin Kolby sent a text message to her friend.

"Going up. Keep fingers crossed," she told her friend Buzz Fischer before the takeoff.

Kolby, 41, was in the plane with her boss, Kenneth Gedney, when he attempted to land the float plane on the lake's calm waters about 4 p.m. near Stewart Peninsula Park in The Colony.

Gedney asked his assistant to join him on the flight to celebrate his 54th birthday. The plane hit the water, toppled over its nose and landed upside down in the lake.

A pair of boaters rescued Gedney, who was floating unconscious near the wreckage. He was listed in good condition at Parkland Memorial Hospital and was expected to stay another day for observation.

Kolby drowned, according to the Tarrant County medical examiner.

Fischer said Kolby was a fun-loving, adventurous woman who rode bulls while she served in the Air Force nearly 20 years ago. She was also known to ride jet skis and run marathons.

"She always wanted to be involved in something different," Fischer said.

For the last six years, Kolby worked for Gedney's Addison-based OptiSky, a company that helped clients to acquire and manage aircraft. Gedney is the company president, according to its Web site. The site said Gedney has 31 years in the aircraft industry, including more than 10,000 hours of flight time.

For several hours after the accident, the plane's cabin was submerged with only its floats showing. The airplane's wheels, which are normally stowed during water landings, were extended from their wells. Recovery crews towed the aircraft to land by boat with Kolby's body still inside.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident.

From his hospital bed Friday, Gedney reached Johnny and Nathan Hopkins by telephone to thank them for rescuing him. The brothers saw the plane attempt the lake landing and rushed over in their boat when they saw it flip.

Johnny Hopkins saw Gedney's head floating above the water and jumped in. Hopkins said Gedney was unconscious and turning blue for lack of oxygen. The brothers lifted Gedney onto their boat and Johnny Hopkins revived him by administering CPR.