MCKINNEY
A retired Air Force lieutenant colonel and his 18-year-old son, himself attending the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colo., both of Farmersville, were among the three people who died in the two-plane collision over McKinney Saturday.
Gregory Barber, 55, and his son, Tim Barber, were two of the victims, a family friend confirmed for WFAA television. The Federal Aviation Administration said the accident occurred about 5:30 p.m. Saturday.
Keith Clifton, a longtime friend and business partner, told the television station that the Barber’s had just taken off from Aero Country airport and was entering the first turn when his single-engine aircraft was struck in the tail. The plane crashed into the southbound lanes of Custer Road, according to the report.
“He was an excellent and very experienced pilot,” Clifton told WFAA. “Just wonderful people, the glue that holds communities together.”