Sheriff’s office identifies woman who died after backing into airplane propeller
A Wichita, Kansas, woman died Saturday after backing into a moving airplane propeller in Derby, an official said.
The Sedgwick County Sheriff’s Office identified the victim Monday as Amanda Gallagher, 37, Sheriff’s Office spokesman Eric Slay said.
The incident was reported at 2:40 p.m. at the Air Capital Drop Zone, a skydiving center in Derby. Gallagher was taken to Wesley Medical Center where she died from her injuries.
“(Gallagher) made contact with a grounded and stationary, but still running plane, and received critical injuries,” a sheriff’s office news release said.
A GoFundMe created Sunday said Gallagher loved skydiving and taking pictures. As of Monday evening, more than $13,800 had been raised toward a $12,000 goal to help pay for funeral costs.
“Amanda Gallagher was kind, adventurous, creative and beautiful inside and out. She was a loving daughter, sister, aunt and friend and will be greatly missed,” the website said.
Gallagher owned a photography business, AG Photography in Wichita, and her most recent posts were of her skydiving, her Facebook profile shows.
This is not the first time a tragic accident like this has occurred at a small airport. CBS News reported that a 23-year-old woman was critically injured in 2011 in Plano, Texas, when she was struck by a propeller that was still moving on a small plane.