By AuxBeacon News Contributor

[Editor’s Note: We received an anonymous tip regarding this crash. Thank you for your contribution. This plane crash in Virginia was attributed to pilot error.]

Danville, VA – Two teenage Civil Air Patrol cadets of the Danville Composite Squadron in Virginia swooped their plane near the ground to wave at a girl were killed when the craft smashed into a tree.

Police tentatively identified them as IRA REYNOLDS, a student at Dan River High School here, and WILLIAM MONTGOMERY, a teenager from the Danville area.

An eyewitness, 16-year-old Jackie Meyers said the boys had circled her home, had cut their motor off and glided down close to the ground, where they waved and yelled at her.

She said when they tried to get the motor started again, it failed to respond immediately and the plane, a Piper Cub, smashed into a tree. It caught fire immediately she said.

The Meyers girl said her father pulled the boys from the plane almost immediately, and both were dead.

Police said local residents helped put out the fire by scooping up dirt from the ground and throwing it onto the flames. A large crowd gathered at the scene.