Memorial and Vigil Planned for Student Pilot

A memorial mass for Utah State University aviation student Frank Marino De Leon Compres, who died July 18 in a plane crash, will be Thursday, July 21, at St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church in Hyde Park, Utah, from 6:30-7:30 p.m., followed by a candlelight vigil from 8-9:15 p.m. at the northwest corner of the Quad at USU. The public is invited.

The 21-year-old senior in Aviation Technology-Maintenance Management, an arm of the USU College of Agriculture and Applied Science’s Ag Systems Technology, was flying solo in a USU DA-40 Diamond single engine fixed gear aircraft, when the plane went down July 18 in a field south of Hyrum, Utah. He had been flying for about two hours that day.

A scholarship in De Leon Compres’s name has been established. In lieu of flowers, people are encouraged to donate to the fund online.

This is the first fatality in the USU Aviation Program since its beginnings in 1939. The program currently has 180 students enrolled in the professional pilot program and another 68 students in the aviation maintenance program.

De Leon Compres, an Honors student, had just completed the maintenance management program degree requirements for his Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) mechanics license, and was working on his professional pilot degree. He will posthumously be conferred his earned degree in a presentation with family members during the vigil by Ken White, dean of the USU College of Agriculture and Applied Sciences, said Andreas Wesemann, assistant professor in the aviation technology program.

Students and faculty alike looked up to De Leon Compres, Wesemann said. They remember him for his contagious smile, laser focus and tremendous competence.

“He was one of our sharpest,” he said. “He was considered one of the best. He was well-motivated and well-liked in the program. This is a sad day for the USU aviation program.”

De Leon Compres was a resident assistant at USU’s Davis Hall. He was also a member of the USUSA International Student Council.

St. Thomas Aquinas is located at 725 South 250 East, Hyde Park. A USU shuttle to the church will be available from the Taggart Student Center roundabout starting at 5:45 p.m. A departing shuttle back to USU will be available from 7:30-8 p.m.

Parking at USU will be available in purple lots with overflow in brown lots from 8-10 p.m.

Additional information:

An investigation is currently being conducted by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration
Cause of the crash could take up to a year to determine
The wind speed, when the plane took off just before 10 a.m. July 18, from Logan-Cache Airport, was recorded at 6 m.p.h.
Conditions for flying were satisfactory and no restrictions had been issued at the time
Plane that crashed: DA-40 Diamond Aircraft single engine fixed gear (2006)
Complete USU fleet information: 17 planes total (mostly added to the program in 2006)
- 10 DA-40 Diamond Aircraft – single engine fixed gear (2006)
- 3 Piper Arrows – single engine (1975-1976)
- 3 DA-42 Diamond Aircraft – twin engine (2006)
- 1 Cessna (1978)
The Aviation Technology program at USU includes bachelor of science degrees in professional pilot and maintenance management
Professional pilot graduates receive all Federal Aviation Administration certifications and are trained to be commercial pilots
Diamond Aircraft include glass cockpits and the latest instrument and navigation technology
USU offers a nine-week private pilot summer program to allow students to jump-start career goals before the school semester begin fall
Students in the aviation technology – maintenance management program complete the courses required for the FAA Airframe and Powerplant (A&P) licenses. Coursework also includes aviation law, human factors in aviation safety and management
Employment opportunities for graduates in maintenance management include positions with major airlines as maintenance technicians, maintenance supervisors, fixed-based operators, maintenance directors, repair station managers, FAA inspectors, aircraft and component manufacturers, and aerospace manufacturers. Degree completion in the program prepares graduates for all FAA required licensing evaluations
The aviation program resumed operations July 20