Connor was an 18-year-old high school graduate with a bright future. He was only one month away from earning his private pilot’s license. But his life was cut short during a night flight, not because of a mechanical failure, but because of the shocking behavior of his flight instructor.
The Student and the “Expert”
Connor was a dedicated student who had already completed 37 hours of training. For his required night flight, he was paired with a new instructor named Junior.
Junior was only 22 years old. While he had the right licenses, he lacked the one thing every teacher needs: respect for the student. Investigation later revealed that Junior had been fired from his previous flight school for dangerous behavior, such as turning off engine instruments mid-flight just to “test” his students.
Bullying at 3,000 Feet
From the moment they met, Junior treated the flight like a joke for social media. While Connor was carefully checking the plane before takeoff, Junior was filming him for Snapchat. He posted videos mocking Connor, calling him “slow” and comparing him to “Forest Gump Jr.”
Instead of teaching, Junior was busy complaining to his followers that Connor was taking “too much time” and that he wanted to get home early to sleep. This created a toxic environment where Connor likely felt too intimidated to speak up or ask questions.
The “Wall of Hornets”
The most unforgivable part of the story happened when the weather turned bad. On his iPad, Junior saw a weather radar showing massive, severe thunderstorms—which he described as a “group of pissed-off hornets”—heading straight for them.
Even though the storms were huge (reaching 50,000 feet into the air), Junior’s arrogance took over. He didn’t want to land at a nearby airport and wait. He wanted to get his “hours” and go home. He flew the small, light plane directly into the center of the storm at night.
The Final Seconds
Once inside the storm, the turbulence became violent. The plane was tossed around like a toy. Junior finally called Air Traffic Control for help, but it was too late. The forces of the wind were so strong that they ripped the wings off the aircraft in mid-air. Both Connor and Junior were killed when the plane crashed into a field.
The Lesson: “Time Builders” vs. Real Teachers
The aviation community calls people like Junior “Time Builders.” These are pilots who don’t actually care about teaching; they just want to log enough hours as fast as possible so they can get a high-paying job at a major airline.
Connor trusted the system. He trusted his school to give him a safe instructor. The tragedy of Flight 25BW is a wake-up call that a pilot’s license is a responsibility, not a trophy. Connor’s death reminds us that arrogance in the cockpit is just as deadly as a broken engine.
