Cook Medical Vice President And Daughter Killed In Tennessee Plane Crash

Bill Gibbons

Cook Medical's Vice President of Engineering, Bill Gibbons, and his daughter died in a plane crash in Eastern Tennessee late last night. A local television station, WJHL in Knoxville, Tennessee, says a the small Cessna plane piloted by Gibbons crashed on Buffalo Mountain in Unicoi County, Tennessee during bad weather Friday night. Witnesses described the plane crashing down from the sky during a storm after seeing a bright flash of light and a crashing noise.

The FAA told WJHL the Cessna 400 aircraft was traveling from Knoxville to Bloomington when it crashed. Cook Medical identified Gibbons and his 15-year old daughter, Abbey, as the victims of the plane crash before authorities released the information. “Our hearts are heavy today as we learned about the passing of our friend and coworker," a company spokesman said. "Last night, Bill Gibbons, our vice president of engineering, and his daughter were involved in a plane crash near Knoxville, TN. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Gibbons family."

Gibbons with his 15-year old daughter, Abbey (Facebook photo)