Beloved husband and wife airplane enthusiasts are killed after small plane crashes and catches fire in Kansas field

An award-winning airplane restoration couple have died in a fiery crash over a Kansas field.

David Allen, 78, and his wife Jeanne Allen, 79, were flying their 1934 WACO YKC single-engine biplane when the incident occurred around 6:10 p.m. on Sunday.

The plane crashed under 'unknown circumstances' and then caught fire in the field around 10 miles north of Hoxie in Sheridan County, according to the FAA.

Kansas Highway Patrol confirmed David was piloting the aircraft and Jeanne was the passenger.

The couple was well known in the aviation community and lived at Kelly Airpark in Elbert, Colorado.

David Allen, 78, and his wife Jeanne Allen, 79, died in a fiery crash while flying their 1934 WACO YKC single-engine biplane

Kelly Airpark is a residential community that allows pilots to keep their aircrafts at their homes and taxi them from home hangars onto runways, according to The Denver Post. 

'I’ve always dreamt about flying biplanes and having my own place with a hangar. We’ve got a good thing going here,' David told the local newspaper in 2006.

They bought the lot in 1994 for $20,000 and built their home and hanger on it. 

Their first project was a homebuilt Taperwing Waco replica that took six and a half years to complete, reported General Aviation News.

Next up was Straightwing Waco project that won them the award of Reserve Grand Champion Antique at SUN ‘n FUN 2016. 

Then they restored the 1934 Cabin Waco YKC that won a variety of awards at different shows and competitions.

The 1934 WACO YKC single-engine biplane (right) crashed under 'unknown circumstances' then caught fire in a Kansas field

The couple was beloved in the aviation community and lived at the Kelly Airpark in Colorado  - a community that allows residents to keep their aircrafts at their homes

Tributes from the aviation community have started to pour in for the beloved couple. 

'A person, having spent any time with Dave and Jeanne Allen, left the experience feeling on par with two people who were clearly on a level higher than his or her own,' said Terry Bowden

'Very saddened to learn of the passing of David and Jeanne Allen. I first met them back in 2021 at SUN 'n FUN,' said Aircraft Owners and Pilots Association contributor Cayla McLeod.

'I was admittedly very drawn to their turquoise Waco, so I swung by to introduce myself. 

'I sat and talked to them for well over an hour as I interviewed them for my first article as a contractor with AOPA: your freedom to fly. They were the nicest people.'