OSHKOSH, WISCONSIN: A co-pilot's body from an airplane that crashed and killed the daughter of an NFL star has been found. Officials found the body of Zach Colliemoreno, 20, who was flying with Super Bowl champion Bruce Collie's daughter, Devyn Reiley. Their plane, a World War 2-era T-6 Texan, crashed into Lake Winnebago, Wisconsin, shortly after takeoff at an altitude of 3,900 feet.
According to witnesses, the plane began spiraling violently before descending ahead of the EAA AirVenture Oshkosh air show, reported Mirror. Devyn Reiley's body was discovered the same day, but Colliemoreno's body was discovered two days later, along with the majority of the plane. Zach was a family friend, Devyn's sister said in a GoFundMe page following their tragedy.
Who was Zach Colliemoreno?
Authorities found the body of Reiley, the eldest of the 13 children raised by the 61-year-old 49ers legend, later that day. The body of Colliemoreno, a family friend, eluded authorities until it was discovered on Monday, along with the 'vast majority' of the ancient plane, as per Daily Mail. Three hours later, an ELA 10 Eclipse gyrocopter and a Rotorway 162F helicopter collided in mid-air, killing Mark Peterson and Thomas Volz. There have been no further details regarding Zach as of now.
During the Experimental Airfare Association's AirVenture convention, the single-engine plane they were aboard crashed into Lake Winnebago. Around 600,000 people and 100,000 planes attend the convention every July. The plane's location in the small lake hindered recovery operations. The crash's cause is still being investigated.
Family remembers Devyn Collie Reilly
Calyn Collie is Devyn Collie Reilly's younger sister, and she remembers her as "the model older sister for our whole family." She claims that flying, particularly AirVenture, was an important part of her sister's life. "Planes were her life…" stated Collie, "she got her pilot’s license and actually met her husband at Oshkosh…she was about to take her commercial [pilot's exam] this month." She also claims that Collie Reilly and her father connected because of their common experience as pilots. "She had a dream to be a pilot from a young age, and my Dad is actually a pilot," Collie revealed. "So they bonded over that and it was always like a fun topic of conversation for the growing up over the years, and we were a big family, we [would] all go to airshows," as per NBC 26.
Dick Knapinski, EAA communications director, expressed his condolences to the Collies and the families of all those who died in the crashes. "It is something that’s always tragic," he stated, "Aviation is a close-knit family, and it’s something that certainly our hearts do go out to them."
