Wagstaff walks away from mishap

Local media reported Wagstaff had just landed a 1958 Beechcraft Bonanza at Northeast Florida Regional Airport and was taxiing when the aircraft veered onto the grass and rolled over on Sept. 11.

Wagstaff’s lone passenger, identified by police as a 59-year-old man, was unhurt in the mishap. Wagstaff later briefed her Twitter followers that she was flying with a fellow instructor, and both are “doing fine.”

Wagstaff has been a dedicated supporter of aviation for decades. She has flown firefighting aircraft, has trained pilots who fly to protect wildlife in Kenya, and has supported AOPA in a variety of ways through the years, such as donating flight lessons to benefit the AOPA Foundation in 2014, to name just a few examples. The first woman to win a national aerobatic championship, Wagstaff has signed countless autographs at AOPA airshow tents, and continues to teach aerobatics and welcome students to the Florida airport that is not-at-all-coincidentally home to the American distributor of Extra Aircraft.