Justin Knight, CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT Inc.
Justin G. Knight is back at his downtown Richmond office running one of the nation's largest hotel businesses after suffering injuries in a plane crash on July 4.
Knight, president and CEO of Apple Hospitality REIT Inc., had suffered serious but non-life-threatening injuries when the small plane he was piloting crashed in Buckingham County.
"Beginning this week, he has been back in the office on a full-time basis," said Kelly Clarke, vice president of investor relations at Apple Hospitality, which owns 237 hotels in 33 states including the Richmond Marriott in downtown Richmond and the Courtyard by Marriott and Residence Inn by Marriott in Shockoe Slip.
Clarke said 10 days ago that "Justin is making incredible strides towards his full recovery."
Starting a few weeks ago, Knight was in the office often but not on a full time basis, she said. He did, for instance, participate in last month's conference call with investors to discuss second quarter earnings.
"Justin has been actively engaged with the Apple Hospitality team and others that he would normally interact with that are part of the company’s business since very shortly after the accident," Clarke said.
Knight declined to comment, she said.
"At this time, Justin’s primary focus continues to be on his family, his full recovery and remaining actively engaged with his colleagues at Apple Hospitality. That being said, he is not available for an interview at this time," she said.
The Aviat A-1C-180 aircraft Knight was piloting had stalled out, causing it to crash-land in a cornfield, law enforcement officials had said.
The 44-year-old Knight, who lives in Chesterfield County, was flown to the University of Virginia Medical Center in Charlottesville after the crash. His 11-year-old son, the only passenger, was treated at the scene for minor injuries.
During his recovery, Krissy Gathright, the company's executive vice president and chief operating officer, and Bryan Peery, executive vice president and chief financial officer, shared in the responsibilities and oversight of Apple Hospitality's day-to-day activities.
In 2014, Knight was named CEO of the company, which has one of the largest portfolios of upscale service hotels in the U.S. Knight has served on the board since 2015 and joined the company in 2000.
Original article can be found here ➤http://www.richmond.com
The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Richmond, Virginia
Aviation Accident Preliminary Report - National Transportation Safety Board: https://app.ntsb.gov/pdf
NTSB Identification: ERA17LA229
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Tuesday, July 04, 2017 in Dillwyn, VA
Aircraft: AVIAT AIRCRAFT INC A-1C-180, registration: N272WY
Injuries: 1 Serious, 1 Minor.
This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed. NTSB investigators may not have traveled in support of this investigation and used data provided by various sources to prepare this aircraft accident report.
On July 4, 2017, at 1224 eastern daylight time, an Aviat Aircraft Inc. A-1C-180, N272WY, was substantially damaged when it impacted terrain in Dillwyn, Virginia. The private pilot was seriously injured, and one passenger sustained minor injuries. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 as a local, personal flight. Day, visual meteorological conditions prevailed at the time, and no flight plan was filed.
According to a witness, the pilot was attempting to land the airplane on a grass field. Three attempts were made, and the airplane touched down on the third attempt. The pilot then executed a go-around, and the airplane climbed, turned to the right, and stalled. The airplane then collided with terrain in a cornfield adjacent to the grass field.
An inspector with the Federal Aviation Administration reported that the airplane came to rest in a steep, nose-low position in the cornfield. There was no fire. The airplane was recovered to a hangar for a further examination by the FAA.
The inspector reported that the field where the pilot was attempting to land was a grass strip designed for radio-controlled aircraft. The strip was oriented to the northeast/southwest and was about 665 ft in length.
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