Kaleb Kramer Obituary, SMITH COUNTY, Texas — Kaleb Kramer, 33, was killed Sunday afternoon when an experimental aircraft crashed in a rural area of Smith County between Arp and Overton, authorities said.
Kramer was the only person aboard the aircraft when it went down, according to Smith County Precinct 4 Justice of the Peace Curtis Wulf, who identified the victim. The fatal crash occurred shortly after the aircraft took off from a private airfield near Arp.
According to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the aircraft was an Avid Flyer Mark IV, a single-engine experimental plane. The crash was reported at approximately 4:50 p.m. Sunday in a field near County Road 227, prompting a response from multiple emergency and law enforcement agencies.
Smith County Emergency Services, the Texas Department of Public Safety, the Smith County Sheriff’s Office, UT Health and Texas Parks and Wildlife responded to the crash site. Authorities secured the area as emergency personnel and investigators began examining the circumstances surrounding the fatal aircraft crash.
Kramer’s death also drew a response from members of the local community. Rogue Offroad, an ATV and UTV company based in Jacksonville, shared a statement mourning his passing and remembering him as a leader, friend and valued member of the community.
The business said Kramer’s loss would be deeply felt by those who knew him and asked customers, friends and community members to share their favorite memories of him while keeping his family in their thoughts and prayers.
The circumstances that caused the Avid Flyer Mark IV to crash have not been released. Authorities have not determined or publicly identified a cause for the aircraft to go down shortly after takeoff.
The FAA is investigating the crash, with local emergency and law enforcement agencies assisting at the scene. Additional information is expected as investigators examine the aircraft and work to determine the sequence of events leading to the fatal crash. Kramer’s family, friends, colleagues and members of the community continue to mourn his death and remember the impact he had on those around him.
