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Pilot, second passenger die weeks after South Side plane crash

Both victims had been hospitalized at Brooke Army Medical Center with severe burns

The plane crashed July 25 near Stinson Municipal Airport. (KSAT, KSAT)

SAN ANTONIO – A pilot and a second passenger involved in a South Side plane crash have died weeks after the aircraft went down behind a home near Stinson Municipal Airport, an official with the Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed Wednesday.

Pilot Robert Perguson, 28, and Zachary Collins, 33, died Tuesday after lengthy stays at a San Antonio military burn center.

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No cause or manner of death was available for either victim.

A third person in the plane, 56-year-old Simon Willett, died at the scene of the crash.

Perguson and Collins were taken to the hospital with severe burns.

The crash happened July 25 behind a home in the 9400 block of Espada Road.

SAPD: One killed, two hospitalized after plane crash on South Side

The Federal Aviation Administration and police said the single-engine Piper PA-28 crashed shortly after take off.

The National Transportation Safety Board has not yet released its preliminary investigation of the deadly crash.

Both Perguson and Collins had been listed in critical, but stable condition at the U.S. Army Institute of Surgical Research Burn Center, which is collocated at Brooke Army Medical Center.

Perguson was the owner and operator of Valkyrie Aviation, based at Stinson, according to public records.

The plane involved in the crash was registered to Perguson, FAA records show.


About the Authors
Dillon Collier headshot

Emmy-award winning reporter Dillon Collier joined KSAT Investigates in September 2016. Dillon's investigative stories air weeknights on the Nightbeat and on the Six O'Clock News. Dillon is a two-time Houston Press Club Journalist of the Year and a Texas Associated Press Broadcasters Reporter of the Year.

Alicia Barrera headshot

Alicia Barrera is a KSAT 12 News reporter and anchor. She is also a co-host of the streaming show KSAT News Now. Alicia is a first-generation Mexican-American, fluent in both Spanish and English with a bachelor's degree from Our Lady of the Lake University. She enjoys reading books, traveling solo across Mexico and spending time with family.

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