Authorities told FOX Business on Sunday that a couple, believed to be an award-winning pilot and his wife, died in a tragic plane crash last week after declaring an emergency landing “due to oil on the windshield.”
Local Media KLTV said the couple’s dog was also on board and miraculously survived the devastating accident.
The incident occurred in East Texas Last Wednesday around 5:30 p.m., when a Beechcraft A36 struck power lines while diverting toward Brownsboro, the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) said. Authorities added that the small plane crashed short of the runway in Murchison, according to KLTV.
The Florida Aviation Network (FAN) told FOX Business the plane belonged to Ronn Timmermans, who is married to Barbara Zimmer. The couple owned Aeronautical company based in Orlando AileRon T LLC.
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Ron and Barbara Timmermans holding their pet dog, Ziva, in front of a small plane in an undated photo. (Florida Aviation Network/Fox News)
“It is with deep sadness that it has been reported that Ron Timmermans (RJT) left for the West on February 11, 2026,” the network said in an internal memo, referring to the deadly tragedy.
FAN noted that the couple reportedly “perished in a plane crash in East Texas.”
The Bonanza & Baron Pilot Training website says Timmermans was inspired by his wife, Barbara, to become a flight instructor, and the couple flew to numerous destinations in the United States, Canada and the Bahamas.
Photos from the crash scene showed the Timmermans’ plane nose-down into the ground with its tail protruding dramatically into the sky.
Although the couple died in the incident, their small lapdog miraculously survived and was taken in by local residents at the crash site, KLTV reported. FAN noted that the dog was named Ziva.
“The dog was alive, so one of the neighbors took it away the dog that needs to be taken care of,” said resident Mary Ann Shoulders.
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Ron Timmermans was named the 2021 National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year. (Florida Aviation Network/Fox News)
FAN described the veteran flight instructor as an integral figure in the flying community. He was named National Certified Flight Instructor of the Year in 2021 by an awards program associated with the Federal Aviation Administration. He has also provided pro bono services to FAN since 2017 and acted as the network’s host.
“Ron has played an important role in training hundreds of pilots over the years,” the organization told KLTV. “He has conducted hundreds of hours of interviews with people in the aviation industry. He is the main host of our online interviews. He was the National Flight Instructor of the Year in 2021. He and Barbara will be greatly missed.”
A Beechcraft A36 Bonanza aircraft takes flight on June 27, 2014. (NOAH SEELAM/AFP via Getty Images)
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The NTSB said the crash was under investigation and authorities had recovered the devices from the plane which could contain data on the accident.
The wreckage was also recovered to a secure facility for further examination.
FOX Business has contacted the Federal Aviation Administration for more information.
