Victims identified after 4 killed in 2 crashes involving aircraft at EAA AirVenture

Devin Reiley (source: GoFundMe) and Mark Peterson (source: YouTube), two pilots killed in separate crashes at EAA AirVenture 2023

Four people died and two others were hospitalized after separate crashes involving aircraft attending AirVenture on Saturday in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. The crashes included a midair collision on the field of Wittman Regional Airport (OSH) between a helicopter and a gyrocopter, along with a T-6 Texan that crashed into nearby Lake Winnebago.

First responders rushed to the lake just after 9 a.m. on Saturday. The Winnebago County Sheriff’s Office along with the marine units, dive rescue/recovery team members, the Oshkosh Fire Department, Winneconne Fire Department, Neenah Menasha Fire Rescue, Calumet County Sheriff’s Office, Wisconsin DNR, U.S. Coast Guard and the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary all conducted an emergency rescue response.

The pilot, 30-year-old Devyn Reiley of Guadalupe, Texas, and passenger, 20-year-old Zach Colliemoreno, whose hometown was not immediately available, died in the crash, according to a statement from the EAA.

Reilly was a co-founder of the Texas Warbird Museum and formerly general manager of Texas Aviation Academy, according to her LinkedIn profile.

Family members have established a GoFundMe campaign that can be accessed here.

In the second crash, just before 12:30 p.m., a Rotorway 162F helicopter and an ELA 10 Eclipse gyrocopter collided midair at the south end of the EAA AirVenture flightline.

Two people died in the crash and two others were injured but were said to be in stable condition.

A pilot, 69-year-old Mark Peterson of Foley, Alabama, and passenger, 72-year-old Thomas Volz, died. The statement did not specify which aircraft they were in.

Peterson was a long-time RotorWay/RotorX owner, builder and pilot, according to a company website and YouTube profile.

Neither aircraft was involved in the airshow. Operations at the airport stopped during the investigation, with the afternoon airshow beginning around 2:45 p.m. “after a short delay,” the EAA said.

The FAA and NTSB are investigating both crashes with the assistance of the EAA and local authorities.