It’s often the littlest details that make all the difference between a brush with death and a heartbreaking tragedy.
And, unfortunately for the Canadian family of five whose plane crashed onto a Nashville highway Monday, those little details resulted in tragedy.
The family, now identified as 43-year-old Victor Dotsenko, his 39-year-old wife Rimma, and their 3 children, David, 12, Adam, 10, and Emma, 7, were identified Wednesday via a statement released by King Township Mayor Steve Pellegrini, according to a report by People.
In his statement, shared on the social media platform X, Pellegrini wrote, “We stand together in mourning the loss of Rimma Dotsenko, her husband Victor and their three children, and offer our support to all those affected by this tragedy.”
— Steve Pellegrini (@MayorPellegrini) March 7, 2024
The school the Dotsenko children attended, UMCA Rich Tree Academy in Vaughan, Ontario, likewise released a statement after the family was identified.
In the statement shared to their Instagram story, they called the Dotsenkos a “beloved family within our school,” describing how the three children “lit up our hallways every day,” saying that “Rimma and Victor were always very close to the UMCA family and we will miss them tremendously.”
Now, what exactly happened here? What caused the Dotsenkos’ plane to crash into a highway in Tennessee and burst into flames?
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As People reported, Victor Dotsenko received his private pilot license from Brampton Flight Centre in 2022.
Local Nashville news outlet WKRN-TV shared what little is known as of yet: Flying in the single-engine plane, Victor Dotsenko reportedly radioed John C. Tune Airport at 7:40 p.m. Monday, requesting permission for an emergency landing.
Though they were given permission to land, according to People, Dotsenko told the air traffic controller, “I’m at 1,600 [feet]. I’m going to be landing. I don’t know where. I’m too far away, I won’t make it. That was the last communication the airport had with the plane.
While it’s still unclear exactly what happened, Aaron McCarter, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation and Safety Board, told WKRN that the evidence as it stands now indicates that the engine suffered “catastrophic” failure and total loss of engine power “for reasons unknown.”
It appears, then, based on the current evidence, that it was just an ordinary aviation failure or hiccup.
And, unfortunately, the simplest hiccups or mistakes can have catastrophic consequences when it comes to aviation.
This time, those catastrophic consequences cost the lives of an entire family.
Police in Nashville say a family from King Township died in Monday night’s plane crash. The victims have been identified as Victor Dotsenko, 43, his wife, Rimma Dotsenko, 39, and their three children, David, 12, Adam, 10 and Emma, 7.
Photo Courtesy UMCA Rich Tree Academy, Vaughan pic.twitter.com/a1ZWOxDRUH— 105.9 The Region (@1059TheRegion) March 7, 2024
In this vale of tears, a random accident or tragedy can deprive us of everything — or even everyone — we know in an instant.
The father who drops dead from a stroke without warning, the family home that goes up in flames, or in this case, the plane crash that kills an entire family, just shows how fragile our lives really are, and how precious the people in our lives really are.
The Dotsenkos’ family and friends likely thought nothing of them getting in a plane and flying away, but because of one disastrous development, their lives changed forever.
That’s not to say we should live constantly in fear of a tragedy swooping in out of nowhere and taking away everyone we love.
Rather, we should be continuously grateful for what we have and, especially, the people God puts in our life.
We should appreciate the preciousness of our loved ones, and strive never to take them for granted.
As Job told his unhelpful friends in the face of his own devastation, “The Lord gave, and the Lord hath taken away; Blessed be the name of the Lord.”
