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| Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Brown IV and his wife, Sue S. Brown, were killed when the Cessna 210 he was piloting crashed in Williamsburg, Va. (United States Airforce) |
By ALYSSA NEWCOMB (@alyssanewcomb) and LUIS MARTINEZ (@LMartinezABC)
April 20, 2013
Federal authorities are investigating the cause of a plane crash in Virginia that killed a decorated Air Force general and his wife.
Maj. Gen. Joseph D. Brown IV, 54, was piloting a Cessna 210 Friday, with his wife, Sue Brown, as his passenger, when the plane crashed near the Williamsburg-Jamestown Airport. The couple and their dog were killed in the crash.
No one on the ground was injured in the crash, but the single-engine plane came close to hitting houses in a retirement community, according to witnesses.
"Another 50 feet, and they would have been in my bedroom," resident Bruce Ward told ABC News affiliate WVEC-TV.
"The fellow next door came knocking on our door, and he says, 'You got a fire extinguisher? There's a plane just crashed next to your house,'" Ward said.
Virginia State Police said officials from the Federal Aviation Administration responded Friday. The crash scene was secured overnight until authorities from the National Transportation Safety Board arrived, according to state police.
The cause of the crash was not yet known.
Brown joined the Air Force in 1980 and rose through the ranks. Since October 2010, he had been the commandant of The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy in Washington, D.C.
Throughout his career, he had more than 4,300 hours of experience piloting a variety of aircraft, including B-1s and B-52s.
In a joint statement, Secretary of the Air Force Michael Donley and Air Force Chief of Staff Gen Mark A. Welsh III mourned the loss of a couple who "dedicated their lives in service to our nation."
"Their loss will be felt across our Air Force and joint team," they said.
SUPPLEMENTAL:
Major General Joseph D. Brown IV, United States Air Force
Commandant, The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy
Major General Brown serves as the Commandant, The Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resource Strategy, National Defense University, Fort Lesley J. McNair, Washington, D.C.
The Eisenhower School is the premier Department of Defense Joint Professional Military Education institution for national security resource management.
The School prepares selected military officers and civilians from the Department of Defense, government agencies, over 20 foreign countries, and the private sector for senior leadership positions in the materiel acquisition and joint logistics fields. The College awards it graduates a Master of Science degree in National Resource Strategy.
Major General Brown was commissioned in 1980 as a distinguished graduate of the ROTC program at the Virginia Military Institute. He has commanded at the squadron, group, and wing levels, as well as holding various joint and Air Staff positions. His joint experience includes time as the senior military assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense, the executive officer to the Supreme Allied Commander Europe, and as Deputy Commander of the NATO Combined Air Operations Center in Eskisehir, Turkey.
Prior to assuming his current position, he served as the Deputy Director for Nuclear Operations, U.S. Strategic Command, Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska. In this capacity, he was the principal adviser to the commander on issues pertaining to strategic deterrence and nuclear operations and was responsible for management and oversight of the nuclear enterprise overseeing personnel, procedural, equipment, communications and facility requirements supporting the nuclear command and control system.
Major General Brown holds a Master of Science in Administration from Central Michigan University, as well as a Master of Science in National Security Strategy from the National War College.
The general is a command pilot with more than 4,200 hours, primarily in the B-1 and B-52, including combat time in operations Enduring and Iraqi Freedom.
United States Air Force General. At the time of his death, he was serving as Commandant of the Dwight D. Eisenhower School for National Security and Resources at the National Defense University. A graduate with distinction from the Virginia Military Institute in 1980, he was commissioned Second Lieutenant and served as an aircraft commander and instruction pilot, prior to serving as a senior assistant to the Under Secretary of Defense for Policy in the Office of the Secretary of Defense. Additionally, he saw action in the Operation Enduring Freedom and Iraq campaigns and totaled roughly 4,300 hours as a command officer. In 2007, he was promoted to the rank of Brigadier General and three years later, he was elevated to Major General. Among the many honors during the course of General Brown's career include the Distinguished Flying Cross with "V" device, the Bronze Star, the Legion of Merit and a Army Commendation Medal. In 2010, he was appointed as Commandant of The Eisenhower School at the National Defense University and Commandant of at Industrial College of the Armed Forces and was serving at those capacities at the time of his death in a plane crash for which also claimed his wife. (bio by: C.S
