A woman who died after the business jet she was aboard hit heavy turbulence while flying over New England was identified Monday as a prominent Beltway lawyer who once served on the 9/11 Commission.
Dana J. Hyde's name was released by the Connecticut State Troopers, one of the agencies investigating Friday's emergency landing at Bradley International Airport just north of Hartford.
Hyde, 55, who lived in Cabin John, Maryland, was rushed by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center in Hartford, where she was pronounced dead, the agency said.
Her remains are with the Connecticut Office of the Chief Medical Examiner while the FBI and the National Transportation Safety Board investigate what happened aboard the Bombardier executive jet that was traveling from Keene, New Hampshire, to Leesburg, Virginia, before suddenly diverting to Bradley.
Five people were aboard the private jet, which is owned by Conexon, a company based in Kansas City, Missouri, according to a Federal Aviation Administration database.
"We can confirm that the aircraft was owned by Conexon and that Dana Hyde was the wife of Conexon partner Jonathan Chambers," company spokesperson Abby Carere said in an email. "Jonathan and his son were on the flight also and not injured in the incident. "
Conexon specializes in expanding high-speed internet service to rural communities.
NTSB investigators were interviewing the two crew members and two surviving passengers to see, among other things, whether they were wearing seat belts when the plane was hit by turbulence. The jet’s cockpit voice and data recorders were sent to the NTSB headquarters for analysis.
The agency said Monday it's looking at a "reported trim issue that occurred prior to the inflight upset," a reference to adjustments made to an airplane’s control surfaces to ensure it is stable and level in flight, according to The Associated Press.
Last year, the Federal Aviation Administration instructed pilots flying the same model of Bombardier aircraft to take extra pre-flight measures after trim problems had been reported.
Hyde is identified on her LinkedIn page as the co-chair of the Aspen Institute's Partnership for an Inclusive Economy.
Jon Purves, a spokesman for the organization, said Hyde was a part-time consultant and, in that role, served as co-chair of APIE from 2020-2021.
"During her time with us, Dana was a brilliant and generous colleague who worked closely with programs across the organization to build partnerships and enhance our collective work," he said. "The thoughts of our entire Aspen Institute community are with Dana’s family and loved ones."
Prior to that, Hyde served in both the Obama and the Clinton administrations and was in private practice as well, according to her biography. From 2002 to 2004, she also served on the commission that investigated the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks.
