SAN ANTONIO — A San Antonio-area fifth grade student and her parents died in a plane crash Saturday near Mertzon, Texas, according to a statement from Specht Elementary.
The crash occurred with three people onboard a Piper PA-28 on Nov. 25 at 6:35 p.m. about 15 minutes after takeoff, according to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB).
Fifth grade student, Katrina Sanchez and her parents Jeremy and Alyse Sanchez have been identified as those who died in the crash.
Specht Elementary said Katrina and her parents were flying back from visiting family in New Mexico when their plane crashed.
Faculty and staff will be wearing purple in honor of Katrina on Friday and counseling will be available to students, according to Specht Elementary.
Below is the full statement from the Specht Elementary principal:
Dear Specht Community:
The faculty and staff of Specht Elementary and the entire Comal ISD family are deeply saddened to learn of the death of one of our fifth-grade students, Katrina Sanchez, and her parents yesterday. Katrina and her parents were on their way back from visiting family in New Mexico when the private plane they were flying crashed. Please join us as we extend our deepest and heartfelt sympathy to the Sanchez family as they mourn their loss.
We encourage you to be especially sensitive and prepared to offer support to your child during this time. Grief counselors will be on campus tomorrow to help our school community, particularly our fifth graders, deal with this loss. We will do everything that we can to help your child and our staff through this tragic experience. Over the next few days, encourage your child to express his or her feelings and listen attentively. It will be helpful to recognize the various steps that we all go through in the grieving process: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance.
If you have any concerns regarding your child's reaction to the death of one of their classmates, please contact your child's teacher, school counselor or any member of the administrative staff. Thank you for your concern and support during this difficult time.
Sincerely,
Nicole Freemyer, Principal
Specht Elementary
NTSB said an investigation is ongoing.
>TRENDING ON KENS 5 YOUTUBE: