The teen who was the sole survivor of a small plane crash in Detroit last month is still in the hospital and the family is asking for help raising money for medical bills.
Peyton Boaz, 17, was flying from Texas with his dad, 54-year-old Greg Boaz and Greg's wife, 48-year-old Julie, when their plane crashed on the city's east side.
Peyton was taken to the hospital in critical condition. Both Greg and Julie were killed.
According to a GoFundMe page, Peyton suffered 2nd and 3rd degree burns to his arms, hands and back, and is still recovering in the hospital. The GoFundMe is looking to raise $25,000. AS of Wednesday afternoon, July 11, they have raised $1,900.
An FAA spokesperson told 7 Action News that the pilot reported a landing gear problem and low fuel shortly before the crash. Both the FAA and the NTSB are on scene investigating. The plane was fully engulfed in flames when first responders arrived on scene.
According to the NTSB, the plane flew by the tower after reporting a landing gear issue, and the tower confirmed that the landing gear was not down. The pilot then asked for an area to land on the airport property and that was the last communication between air traffic control and the pilot.
Danny Boaz, Greg's cousin, tells 7 Action News that Greg has been flying for years, but hadn't flown in the last decade. Danny said Greg bought the plane last week and that they were heading to Detroit for Greg's daughter's volleyball competition.
"I was asking if he flies anymore, he said 'no.'" Danny said. "He was thinking about getting back into it. I really believe that the conversation kind of peaked his interest in flying again."
According to the NTSB, the pilot has reported 650 hours of flight time, which was self-reported during a medical examination in October of 2017. Records show that he purchased the plane in April.
