Jessica Dubroff (May 5, 1988 - April 11, 1996) was a seven year old pilot trainee who was attempting to become the youngest person to fly a plane across the United States when 24 hours into her flight, her small plane crashed after take-off from Cheyenne, Wyoming. May 5 is the 125th day of the year in the Gregorian Calendar (126th in leap years). ... 1988 is a leap year starting on a Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... April 11 is the 101st day of the year in the Gregorian calendar (102nd in leap years). ... 1996 is a leap year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar, and was designated the International Year for the Eradication of Poverty. ... The word pilot has several meanings: In shipping, a pilot is someone who guides ships through the waters near a harbour, or especially narrow or otherwise dangerous coastal waters. ... Plane may refer to: Look up Plane in Wiktionary, the free dictionary An Aeroplane or airplane, a type of fixed-wing aircraft. ... Citing the U.S. National Transportation Safety Board, an aviation accident is defined as an occurrence associated with the operation of an aircraft which takes place between the time any person boards the aircraft with the intention of flight and all such persons have disembarked, and in which any person... Wyoming State Capitol in Cheyenne Cheyenne is the capital of Wyoming, a state of the United States of America. ...

During her flight, which included several stopovers, Dubroff became an instant media celebrity whether she wanted that or not. Her flight was vigorously followed by many well-wishers. Media outlets such as CNN, ABC, FOX and others followed her flight steps every day for the duration of her trip, reporting each time she landed or took off, until the tragic ending of her "Sea to Shining Sea Flight". CNN or Cable News Network is a cable television network that was founded in 1980 by Ted Turner & Reese Schonfeld [1] [2] (although he currently is not recognized in CNNs official history). ... The American Broadcasting Company (ABC) is a television and radio network in the United States. ... The foxes comprise 23 species of omnivorous canids, found worldwide. ...

Dubroff took off from Cheyenne in heavy rain and a sudden storm. These weather conditions contributed to the plane's crash within a few minutes of takeoff. Jessica Dubroff, along with her father Lloyd Dubroff and her flight instructor Joe Reid, were killed in the crash. She rang her mother moments before the crash with the last words, "Mom, do you hear the rain? Do you hear the rain? I just want to take off in the plane".

Several rumors of Dubroff living a questionable family life came out after her death, concentrating on claims that the Dubroff children were self-educated and rarely seen at any typically "kid" social activities. No evidence to support these rumors has ever surfaced, however.

The National Transportation Safety Board investigation [1] [2] concluded that pilot Joe Reid had made an improper decision to take off into deteriorating weather conditions when the airplane was overweight and when the density altitude was higher than he was accustomed to, resulting in a stall caused by failure to maintain airspeed. Contributing to the pilot in command's decision to take off was a desire to adhere to an overly ambitious itinerary, in part, because of media commitments. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is a U.S. government independent organization responsible for investigation of accidents involving aviation, highway, marine, pipelines and railroads in the United States. ...

A book about her life has been published by her mother, Lisa Blair Hathaway.

The accident, and its associated publicity, led to Federal legislation that prohibits anyone who does not hold at least a private pilot certificate and a current medical certificate from being allowed to manipulate the controls of an aircraft during any record attempt, aeronautical competition, or aeronautical feat. (See 49 U.S.C. 44724.) [3]