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Pilot’s family gives update on recovery after Roy plane crash

Posted at 6:30 PM, Nov 18, 2019
and last updated 2019-11-18 20:45:26-05

OGDEN, Utah — For the first time, we hear from the family of the pilot instructor who was flying with a student Sunday when their plane crashed next to I-15.

The family said Bryce Ransom broke almost every bone in his body except for his head, neck and back.

Put under for surgery, his sister April Wilcock said he has not woken up since.

“The goal today was to try and take him off of the sedation medication,” Wilcock said.

Trying to get Ransom to breathe on his own, Wilcock said she hopes he wakes up within the next day or two.

The youngest of five, Ransom has always loved airplanes. Wilcock said as soon as he had his first experience flying, it was hard to keep Ransom tied to the ground for long.

“He fell in love. He loves being up there,” Wilcock said.

Ransom has flown for a couple of years, but Wilcock said he’s only been a flight instructor for about one year. Hearing he crashed was unbelievable.

“My heart sunk when I saw all of those pictures and videos,” she said.

Facing the reality that her brother might not survive, Wilcock drove from her home in St. George to the hospital to be by his bedside.

Ransom’s wife was due to give birth to their third child three days before the accident — a little girl, someone the family hopes Ransom will wake up and see.

“When they brought him to the hospital, he made sure his wife was okay,” Wilcock said.

Ransom then asked about the student in the plane.

“He was so concerned about that second passenger,” Wilcock said.

The student Ransom had been instructing was sent to another hospital with a broken hand and concussion — a miracle that both survived the crash.

The hope and positivity Wilcock and her family feel comes, in part, from seeing the good samaritans who rushed to the wreck with fire extinguishers.

“From the bottom of my heart, my family is just so grateful,” she said.

A GoFundMe account has been set up for the family and can be found here.