Jon Couch, president of Rand Construction Corp., was killed about 5 p.m. Friday in a plane crash at the Virginia International Raceway in Alton in southern Virginia, state police confirmed.
Couch, 46, was piloting the propeller plane, a T-28C Trojan Navy trainer, according to media reports. His mother, Frances Gene Couch, 72, was a passenger and was also killed. No one was hurt on the ground.
The crash apparently came as Couch was attempting some acrobatic maneuvers, witnesses said. Couch, known for his love of extreme sports, owned a motorcycle racing team called TOBC Racing that was preparing for a weekend event at the raceway.
Couch, a resident of Annapolis, oversaw day-to-day operations at Rand, a general contractor founded by local business leader Linda Rabbitt. He had been with the company for more than 18 years. Read his bio on the company’s website here. The D.C.-based company reports more than $263 million in revenue.
Click here for RoadRacingWorld.com’s coverage of the incident and a picture of Couch with his mother.
The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash.
