Father, son are victims of small plane crash Single-engine aircraft registered to JMC Ranches LLC

The victims of Thursday’s plane crash at Midland International Air & Space Port have been identified as a 39-year-old Midland man and his 16-year-old son. The crash of the Cirrus SR22 airplane killed pilot John Mark Cooper, and his son, Gavyn Cooper, who was the only passenger, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety less The victims of Thursday’s plane crash at Midland International Air & Space Port have been identified as a 39-year-old Midland man and his 16-year-old son. The crash of the Cirrus SR22 airplane killed ... more Photo: JAMES DURBIN Photo: JAMES DURBIN Image 1 of / 1 Caption Close Father, son are victims of small plane crash 1 / 1 Back to Gallery

The victims of Thursday’s plane crash at Midland International Air & Space Port have been identified as a 39-year-old Midland man and his 16-year-old son.

The crash of the Cirrus SR22 airplane killed pilot John Mark Cooper, and his son, Gavyn Cooper, who was the only passenger, according to the Texas Department of Public Safety.

The plane — a fixed-wing, single-engine craft manufactured in 2007 — held a “valid” status, according to the Federal Aviation Administration, and the expiration of its certificate was set for January 2021. The plane is registered to JMC Ranches LLC. A John Cooper of Midland is registered as the business’ owner, according to state comptroller records.

According to the FAA, a John Mark Cooper was issued a student pilot certificate on April 1, 2013. Pilots with student pilot certificates are prohibited from carrying passengers.

The Reporter-Telegram could not confirm if the deceased John Mark Cooper is the same Cooper in the FAA’s record because the pilot’s address was withheld. However, there is only one John Mark Cooper in the FFA’s airmen database. DPS confirmed the pilot’s full name.

Robert Katz, a Dallas-based flight instructor and plane crash expert, said student pilots cannot take a plane anywhere without a flight instructor’s endorsement in the student’s logbook. “Even if he owns his own airplane, he can’t legally take it out whenever he wants,” Katz said Friday in a phone interview.

The record also indicates that a third-class medical certificate was issued in April 2013. If the pilot were under 40 years old, he would not have been allowed to fly an aircraft because the medical certificate would have expired 60 months after it was issued -- April 30, 2018 -- according to the federal government’s Electronic Code of Federal Regulations concerning pilot certification.

With 35 years of experience as a pilot, Katz said keeping medical certificates current are critical. “Knowing your medical expiration date is tantamount to knowing your birthday,” he said.

The plane crashed at about 7:30 p.m. Thursday shortly after taking off, according to a DPS press release.

“The aircraft departed from Runway 16 and was preparing to exit the traffic pattern when it crashed near the approach end of Runway 10, starting a fire,” FAA spokesman Lynn Lunsford said in a statement Thursday night.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating, and the FAA will provide assistance. The NTSB usually posts a preliminary report within a week to 10 days after a crash and it typically takes up to a year or more to complete an investigation, he said.

John and Gavyn Cooper initially were identified by Sarah Green, director of marketing and communications for Trinity School. John Cooper’s wife and Gavyn’s mother, Chassity Cooper, is a kindergarten aide at the school, Green said in an email. The victims’ daughter and sister, Callie, attends Trinity, and Gavyn previously attended the private school and was attending Midland High.

Midland High football coach Tim Anuszkiewicz said Gavyn Cooper was a quarterback on the junior varsity team last year and that he was going to be a junior next fall.

“Gavyn was a true Midland Bulldog,” Anuszkiewicz said. “He was a team player. He had a great attitude and was a really happy kid. I think that is what we are going to miss the most about not having him around, that he just brought a really good spirit to the program.”

John Cooper was a trainer at Ruidoso Downs in New Mexico, according to a press release from Ruidoso Downs.

“John M. Cooper was having the best year of his young training career after being successful in the energy business,” the release said. “Last Saturday, the Cooper-trained Pj Splash Of Joy qualified for the Grade 1, $1 million Ruidoso Futurity. Last Sunday, the Cooper trained Flight Force gained top preference to race in the $100,000 Mr Jess Perry Stakes at Ruidoso Downs. Cooper had entered Mojo Perry in the $100,000 Junos Request Stakes at Remington Park to run on Saturday night. Mojo Perry is coming off a third-place run in the Decketta Stakes.”

A request made Friday to the director of airports seeking more information about the incident was not returned. The NTSB does not comment during investigations, and the FAA refers all requests for information to the NTSB.