Pilot in crash that killed St. Charles East grad was no rookie

Aviation authorities say they don't know what caused an experienced pilot to crash a single-engine plane in Allegan County, Mich., on Sunday, killing himself and a St. Charles East High School graduate.

But the pilot, David O. Otai, 23, was licensed to fly single- and multi-engine planes commercially, and had previously flown the very same four-seat Cessna Skyhawk that crashed, according to the company that rented it to him and Federal Aviation Administration records.

Police discovered the bodies of Otai and passenger Emma Biagioni, 20, in a farm field about 11:30 a.m. Sunday after the aircraft sent a distress signal indicating it went down.

Otai, an international student from Kenya, and Biagioni, formerly of St. Charles, were classmates at Hope College in Holland, Mich., and apparently took to the skies for a different view of campus.

"This was not something out of the ordinary at all," said Richard Frost, Hope College's dean of students. "David was a pilot who had a considerable number of hours flying and would frequently secure a plane, oftentimes asking fellow students to go with him to see the area above where they lived and went to school."

Biagioni, a 2007 graduate of St. Charles East High School, was a junior majoring in political science and minoring in Asian studies. Last year, she spent six months studying in Japan and living with a family there, Frost said.

"Emma's spirit and zest for life was pure and full and vibrant, reflecting her deep Christian faith and all the gifts God gave her," he said. "Everybody knew Emma. She was bright as the sun."

The two departed from Tulip City Air Service in Holland, Mich., a few miles from campus, around 10 a.m. Sunday.

Airport owner Ron Ludema said Otai had flown the same aircraft before and also had been in the week before to log some hours to keep his flight certification up to date.

He described the Skyhawk as "a fairly basic" airplane that has fixed landing gear and is commonly sought out by pilots in training. It has no flight data recorder, but it is equipped with an emergency locator that sends out a signal when it detects gravitational impact, he said.

"When that triggered, we called the local control tower in Muskegon and headed in that direction to start looking," he said. "The signal gets stronger the closer you get and that's usually how you find it."

National Transportation Safety Board spokesman Peter Knudson said Otai would have encountered overcast conditions with limited visibility, but investigators are still looking into whether the weather played a role. Ludema said Otai would have had to rely on his instruments rather than his view because of the low visibility.

The airplane went down 10 miles short of Tulip City Airport, which was Otai's destination. A federal investigator is at the scene, Knudson said, but it could be up to a year before authorities have any definitive answers.

According to the college, Otai was a sophomore who enjoyed international studies with a concentration on Spanish. His family lives in Nairobi, Kenya.

Biagioni, a former staff member at St. Charles East's student newspaper, had a passion for social justice and was involved with Amnesty International and the Justice League, among other groups.

"She was deeply convicted about the political process, and she felt called to use her considerable, considerable abilities," Frost said.

Attempts to reach the Allegan County Sheriff's Office and Biagioni's family Monday were unsuccessful.