The passenger killed on a private jet that experienced severe turbulence while flying over New England last week has been identified as a prominent Washington lawyer who served on both the Clinton and Obama administrations.
Also an alumnus of the The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States – better known as the 9/11 Commission – Dana J. Hyde’s name was released by Connecticut cops investigating the incident on Monday.
Hyde, 55, was one of five onboard the the DC-bound aircraft, which was forced to divert to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut late Friday afternoon after encountering the unforeseen instability.
Others onboard included Hyde’s husband and son, as well as two crew members – all of whom survived. The family had reportedly been heading back to their Cabin John, Maryland, home when the turbulence unexpectedly hit.
The plane had been traveling from Keene, New Hampshire, before diverting to Bradley, where the high-profile attorney was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead.
Also an alumnus of the The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States – also known as the 9/11 Commission – Dana J. Hyde’s name was released by Connecticut cops investigating the incident on Monday
Others onboard the plane (pictured here Friday following the emergency landing, included Hyde’s husband and son, as well as two crew members – all of whom survived. The family had been heading back to their Cabin John, Maryland, home when the turbulence unexpectedly hit
In a statement Monday that offered into into authorities’ ongoing probe into the ex-White House staffer’s death – which is also being investigated by the FBI – the Connecticut State Troopers confirmed the private aircraft belonged to a company headed by Hyde’s spouse, Jonathan Chambers.
The company, Kansas-city based Conexon, provides high-speed internet service to rural communities. Prior to joining the company, Chambers was also once a prominent figure in Washington, working in the U.S. Senate as a Republican staff director and later as the Chief of the Office of Strategic Planning for the FCC.
Hyde, meanwhile, worked as a part-time consultant to the DC-based think tank Aspen Institute, a gathering of leaders throughout various industries who strive to solve some of the world’s most prevailing issues.
In the role, Hyde served as co-chair of the Aspen Partnership for an Inclusive Economy (APIE), which, according to the agency’s website, ‘works to bridge the gaps between the people who deserve more inclusive systems and standards and the people who set them.’
Officials said Hyde was immediately transported to Saint Francis Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, after the plane landed Friday, where she was pronounced dead that evening.
No one else was injured in the incident, with officials confirming that both Chambers and one of the couple’s two children were on board at the time of the emergency landing.
Hyde, once a prominent figure in Washington, is seen signing the the $375million Benin Power Compact in September 2015 in the presence of Benin President Thomas Boni Yayi and then Vice President Joe Biden
‘We can confirm that the aircraft was owned by Conexon and that Dana Hyde was the wife of Conexon partner Jonathan Chambers,’ company spokesperson Abby Carere said in an email Monday. ‘Jonathan and his son were on the flight also and not injured in the incident. ‘
According to Flight Aware data, the plane made the reverse journey from Leesburg to Dillant/Hopkins Thursday at approximately 3:49 PM.
At that point, Connecticut State Troopers responded to a medical assist call centered around the internet service provider’s private jet, with Hyde subsequently transported to the area hospital via ambulance.
Bradley International is around 70 miles from Keene, New Hampshire, where the plane took initially took off.
‘On 03/03/2023, at approximately 3:49 PM, Connecticut State Troopers responded to a medical assist call at Bradley International Airport. One patient was subsequently transported to an area hospital via ambulance,’ a Connecticut State Police spokesperson told DailyMail.com.
The private aircraft belonged to an internet company headed by Hyde’s husband Jonathan Chambers, who also previously worked as a White House stagger and was onboard the flight with one of the pair’s sons. Both survived without any injuries, officials said
‘Our agency is assisting as needed; however, the NTSB and the FBI are investigating the facts and circumstances surrounding this incident. For further information please contact those agencies directly.’
Flight data shows the plane, a Bombardier Challenger 300, reached a peak altitude of 26,000 feet before suddenly descending after traveling south along the Connecticut River before landing around 3:45 pm.
Despite the recent announcement, it is not yet clear how Hyde died. Her family has yet to make a statement, and a preliminary report from NTSB is not expected for another two to three weeks.
Officials said NTSB investigators had already removed the plane’s cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorder, which they are in the process of analyzing.
The plane was bound for Leesburg Executive Airport in the DC suburbs
They added that investigators are currently working to piece witness accounts from Chambers and others aboard the plane, including its two-man crew.
Turbulence, which is unstable air in the atmosphere, remains a cause for injury for airline passengers despite airline safety improvements over the years.
But deaths are extremely rare. A preliminary report will be published in two weeks.
‘I can’t remember the last fatality due to turbulence,’ said Robert Sumwalt, a former NTSB chair and executive director of the Center for Aviation and Aerospace Safety at Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University.
Turbulence accounted for more than a third of accidents on larger commercial airlines between 2009 and 2018, according to the NTSB.
