‘He was loved by everyone’: Family mourns pilot killed in crash weeks before daughter’s birth

WAYCROSS, Ga. (WALB/Gray News) — A pilot killed in a small plane crash at the Waycross-Ware County Airport has been identified as a husband and father.

Amanda Scheuing identified the pilot as her husband, Tim Scheuing.

According to the Federal Aviation Administration, a Beechcraft BE35 crashed during takeoff at Waycross-Ware County Airport around 11:15 a.m. Friday, Nov. 6.

Amanda Scheuing remembered her husband as a devoted father, husband and Christian.

“Words are hard to process right now.... He was the absolute best person I have ever known. I couldn’t have asked for a better husband or a better father for our kids,” she said.

She said they met while working together when she was 16 and began dating shortly afterward. The couple celebrated their 20th wedding anniversary this year and have a 16-year-old daughter, with another daughter due in three weeks.

“He was funny, quick-witted, adventurous and a helping hand to anyone,” she said.

Amanda Scheuing said her husband was a pilot, flight instructor and owner of Runway One Nine Aviation. She thanked the community for its outpouring of love.

“He was loved by everyone and touched so many lives,” she said.

She also thanked the emergency crews, first responders and airport staff, as well as the couple’s family, friends and church family.

The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the cause of the crash, with the FAA also investigating.