March 28, 2024 10:26 AM
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Aviation History Speaking Series Presents: Anatomy of An Aircraft Accident – Embry-Riddle Prescott

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University’s College of Aviation invites you to join special guest Karen Perry at the next Aviation History presentation. This free event will be held Thursday, December 15 from 6-7 pm at the Davis Learning Center Auditorium on campus at 3700 Willow Creek Rd. Come early for book-signing at 5:30 p.m. 

Photo courtesy of Rick D’Elia. Superstition Mountain stands majestically in the background from Karen Perry’s home

Karen Perry is a commercial pilot and a thirty-eight year veteran flight attendant for Delta Air Lines. As an aviator, she holds CFII/MEI ratings and is retired from EMS, corporate and regional airline pilot flying.

On the night before Thanksgiving 2011, Karen lost all three of her children, along with their father, in a plane crash. Daughter Morgan, 9, and sons Logan and Luke, ages 8 and 6, were gone in an instant when the plane they were in slammed into Superstition Mountain east of Phoenix, Arizona. The story made national headlines and was featured on the Oprah Winfrey Network as part of its Super Soul Sunday series. Everyone wanted to know—how does a mother comprehend, let alone process, such a loss?

Her memoir, Angels Three: The Karen Perry Story answers that question and faithfully documents her life journey as an aviator, mother and survivor. The book takes readers deep inside Karen Perry’s world of aviation, the challenges of parenting special needs children, and the indescribable pain of every parent’s worst fear come true. This skilled pilot and grieving mother was left to search for clues about what happened that night, and why. Her search for the truth leads to a startling revelation, legal battle with the Federal Aviation Administration, and a troubling question: Was the crash avoidable?

Today Karen Perry has turned horrific tragedy into new hope as Executive Director and co-founder of the non-profit organization 3Wings Of Life, (www.3wingsoflife.org) which offers therapeutic equine assisted learning programs to educate and uplift children.

For more information contact: Cathy Watt, coordinator (928) 777-6960,  wattc@erau.edu or Pete Schlichting, SCHLI811@erau.edu 

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