Teen Was Studying To Become A Pilot

School officials identified the second person onboard an MX-2 aerobatic aircraft that crashed Monday near Dade City, FL. Richard Seufzer, 18, was a senior at Zephyrhills High School who was on the flight as part of research for a student project.

As ANN reported, airshow performer and Paul Lopez, 40, took off from Zephyrhills (ZPH) just after 12 pm EDT Monday, with Seufzer as his passenger. Witnesses around Dade City saw the distinctive green aircraft performing aerobatics over orange groves in the area, a common sight for many.

"He did two loop-de-loops then leveled off," witness Nadine Sheehan told The Tampa Tribune shortly after the accident Monday. "Then he went straight up in the air, over the cloud and came back down. He started spinning and went straight down. The plane just burst into flames. They didn't have a chance."

Both men perished in the crash. Officials have not released the identities of either victim, though friends of Lopez's say he was flying the accident aircraft.

Zephyrhills HS Principal Gerri Painter told the Tribune Seufzer was an amicable student, who worked in the school's front office during first period. He was on the school swim team, and planned to pursue an aviation career.

"He had an interest in going into aeronautics and studying that in college and eventually becoming a pilot," Painter said. On Tuesday, the school brought in district crisis personnel to speak to students about the accident.

The school also postponed by one day the Florida Comprehensive Assessment Test, which will now be administered at Zephyrhills on Wednesday. "We wanted to give everybody a chance to catch their breath," Painter said.

Investigators have not publicly stated what may have led to the accident.

FMI: www.faa.gov