| The passenger killed on a private jet that experienced severe turbulence while flying over New England last week has been identified as a prominent Washington lawyer who served on both the Clinton and Obama administrations. Also an alumnus of The National Commission on Terrorist Attacks Upon the United States – better known as the 9/11 Commission – Dana J. Hyde’s name was released by Connecticut cops investigating the incident on Monday. Hyde, 55, was one of five onboard the DC-bound aircraft, which was forced to divert to Bradley International Airport in Connecticut late Friday afternoon after encountering the unforeseen instability. Others onboard included Hyde’s husband and son, as well as two crew members – all of whom survived. The family had reportedly been heading back to their home in Cabin John, Maryland when the turbulence unexpectedly hit. The plane had been traveling from Keene, New Hampshire, before diverting to Bradley, where the high-profile attorney was rushed to a hospital and pronounced dead. In a statement Monday that offered insight into authorities’ ongoing probe into the ex-White House staffer’s death – which is also being investigated by the FBI – the Connecticut State Troopers confirmed the private aircraft belonged to a company headed by Hyde’s spouse, Jonathan Chambers. The company, Kansas-city based Conexon, provides high-speed internet service to rural communities. Prior to joining the company, Chambers was also once a prominent figure in Washington, working in the U.S. Senate as a Republican staff director and later as the Chief of the Office of Strategic Planning for the FCC. Hyde, meanwhile, worked as a part-time consultant to the DC-based think tank Aspen Institute, a gathering of leaders throughout various industries who strive to solve some of the world’s most prevailing issues. In the role, Hyde served as co-chair of the Aspen Partnership for an Inclusive Economy (APIE), which, according to the agency’s website, ‘works to bridge the gaps between the people who deserve more inclusive systems and standards and the people who set them.’Officials said Hyde was immediately transported to Saint Francis Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, after the plane landed Friday, where she was pronounced dead that evening. |
