A single mother of three was fatally struck by a plane's wing while she was riding a lawnmower at an Oklahoma airport. Samantha Hayes, 27, was operating the machine on Friday, September 29, 2023, at the Broken Bow Airport around 3:30 p.m., when a 70-year-old pilot tried to land a 1972 Beechcraft Bonanza A36.
The pilot, James Baxter, noticed Hayes and tried to ascend to avoid hitting her, but he was unable to gain altitude fast enough, and one of the plane's wings fatally struck her in the head.
Hayes was pronounced dead at the scene, and the plane incident is currently under investigation. Baxter, who was not injured, has had charges filed against him.
The small airport has a 3,200-foot runway and doesn't have air-traffic controllers on staff, so pilots announce their own landings and takeoffs on the radio. It's unclear if Hayes worked at the airport or not.
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Friends of Hayes flooded her Facebook page with messages of grief after her death.
“Samantha Hayes was a wonderful great mom to her 3 babies!" one friend wrote. "She was a single mom who worked hard to give them a safe and loving home! These babies knew they were loved every day all day!”
