Three National Guard Members Die in Plane Crash During Off-Duty Flight: Officials

Lt. Col. Shelli Huether (L), Capt. Jessica Wright (C) and Senior Master Sgt. Scott Bumpus. National Guard

Three airmen were killed in a plane crash on Tuesday in Tennessee, according to the Air National Guard.

The victims were identified as Lt. Col. Shelli Huether; Capt. Jessica Wright; and Senior Master Sgt. Scott Bumpus, said the National Guard.

They were all members of the Tennessee Air National Guard’s 118th Wing, officials said.

“Shelly Huether was just an incredibly friendly, outgoing personality. Same with all three of them. Jessica… was hand-selected to go to that unit,” Col. Todd Wiles said Wednesday, reported WKRN. “And really the loss of those three is a, it’s going to leave an empty space and a lot of our hearts.”

They were not on duty when the plane went down.

Wiles said that all three left behind family members and children.

“We are incredibly saddened by the sudden and tragic loss of three Airmen in yesterday’s accident. I ask Tennesseans to join Maria and me in praying for Lt. Col. Shelli Huether, Capt. Jessica Wright, Senior Master Sgt. Scott Bumpus, and their loved ones during this difficult time,” Republican Gov. Bill Lee said in a statement on Wednesday.

The plane is registered to the nearby Lebanon Flying Club, reported WTVF.

Jessica Wright’s husband, Brandon Wright, told the station: “Jessica’s life was bigger than I could see, but I see it now. She was a true visionary dedicated to women’s rights and women’s leadership through the California Girls State Auxiliary Program. She lived everyday to promote women as equals in the workplace by showing leaders that women are intelligent, bold leaders.”

The National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are both investigating, officials told WTVF.