Super Bowl star's daughter dies in air show plane crash as it plunges into lake

31 July 2023 , 08:11

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Devyn Reiley was the pilot of a vintage World War 2 T-6 Texan aircraft that crashed in Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin (Image: Devyn Reiley/Facebook)

A Super Bowl star's daughter has died in an air show plane crash after it plunged into a lake, it has been confirmed.

The 30-year-old pilot and the daughter of Super Bowl winner Bruce Collie has been identified as the woman who died, along with her co-pilot, after their aircraft crashed at EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show.

Devyn Reiley, died after their WW2-era T-6 Texan aircraft crashed into Lake Winnebago at around 9am yesterday (July 30) in Wisconsin. Her co-pilot, 20-year-old Zach Colliemoreno, was also killed in the accident.

Devyn was the daughter of Bruce Collie, a former star player of the San Francisco 49ers and a two-time Super Bowl champion. She was training to become a commercial air pilot and had been accepted into the Air Force reserves with a goal of flying re-fuelers.

The plane reached an altitude of 3,900 feet before it crashed just five minutes after takeoff.

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Devyn Reiley died in the plane crash (Devyn Reiley/Facebook)

She was the daughter of two-time Super Bowl champ Bruce Collie (Getty Images)

Her sister Calyn Collie, 21, told The San Antonio Express-News: "Her love of aviation was always so evident from a young age. She was enchanted with it all."

Her husband Hunter has posted a heartbreaking tribute and said: "All you wanted was to make the wasp proud. You earned your 'Fifi' wings." In another post, he said: "I love and miss you, Devyn Reiley." Just days before her death, the couple had celebrated their third wedding anniversary.

The plane reached an altitude of 3,900 feet before it crashed (Devyn Reiley/Facebook)

A few hours later, just before 12.30pm, a helicopter and a gyrocopter crashed mid-air near the Wittman Regional Airport. Winnebago County Sheriff’s Department and the Oshkosh Fire Department were quickly on the scene, however two of those on board were declared dead.

The helicopter was piloted by 69-year-old Mark Peterson, an experienced instructor and engineer from Alabama. Passenger, 72-year-old Thomas Volz of Amelia, Ohio, also lost his life. He was an Air Force veteran and cancer survivor, attending the air show with his grandson when the accident happened.

Patty Volz, Thomas Volz's wife of 52 years, recounted the heartbreaking moment when she received the news of her husband's passing.

Four people lost their lives at the air show (X/ @AviationXlrs)

She told Fox 19: "They tell me they never knew what happened. It hit and burst into flames and it went straight down..[My grandson] said, 'I hate to tell you this, Grammy, but Babi has passed away' I just screamed and said, 'No, he's not! No, he's not!''

The EAA AirVenture Oshkosh is one of the largest aviation events in the country, drawing thousands of planes and hundreds of thousands of attendees. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating both accidents to determine the cause of the tragedies.

Speaking to Fox News 11, director of communications for EAA Dick Knapinski said: "It's always tragic when you have any sort of aircraft accident because we are all aviators and we enjoy being here together at Oshkosh."

Lucy Williamson