The pilot of the private jet that crashed in rural Virginia after flying through restricted airspace in Washington D.C. has been identified as Jeff Heffner, a retired Southwest Airlines pilot with 25 years service.
Reports say Heffner was a mentor to Southwest Airlines Pilots Association President Casey Murray who says Heffner taught him to listen and learn from everyone.
Murray also says Heffner was strong on safety measures and never would have flown a plane he believed to be dangerous.
Friends and co-workers called Heffner "Mr. Safety."
Heffner is believed to have fallen unconscious while flying a private jet owned by Florida businessman John Rumpel, with Rumpel’s daughter, two-year-old granddaughter, and their nanny onboard.
With reports of Heffner being slumped over at the controls, the plane crashed in a nose-dive into a mountainous part of Virginia on Sunday.
The NTSB is investigating the crash.
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