A local businessman and his grandson died in a plane crash Wednesday afternoon in Oktibbeha County, officials confirmed.
Gary Dedeaux and 13-year-old Luke Reed were pronounced dead at the crash scene in a wooded area off Camps Airport Road, Oktibbeha County Coroner Michael Hunt told The Dispatch. The crash occurred at about 3:30 p.m.
Dedeaux took off from West Point Municipal Airport at about 3 p.m. flying a vintage T-6 warbird, West Point Chief Administrative Officer Randy Jones said. It was one of three planes Dedeaux, an experienced pilot, owned and kept at the airport.
A former West Point selectman, who served Ward 5 from 2013-17, Dedeaux was owner of Gary’s Pawn and Gun in both West Point and Columbus.
Mike Hainsey, director for Golden Triangle Regional Airport who assisted as liaison between Oktibbeha County first responders and federal authorities, said Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board officials will arrive today to begin investigating the crash’s cause.
Zack Plair is the managing editor for The Dispatch.
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