The pilot was killed Friday morning when a single-engine plane crashed in a Halifax County field, authorities said.
The single-engine Cessna 182 departed from the Sabot Airport, which is west of Richmond, Va., and was en route to the Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport when the pilot, Albert Orgain, reported engine problems, according to the Federal Aviation Administration. Orgain was diverted to the Hanover County Municipal Airport north of Richmond but decided to head to the Halifax-Northampton Regional Airport for an unknown reason, the FAA said.
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Orgain was an aviation attorney in Richmond, officials said. Colleagues described him as an exceptional pilot with thousands of hours in the air.
"I tell you, if there was anybody I would feel safe with in the air, it would be Al Orgain," said Don Osborne, Executive Director of Sands Anderson Law Firm.
Orgain flew helicopters in the Army and served in the Vietnam War. He was awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross, the Purple Heart and six Air Medals.
"There are not many lawyers that I could say that everybody loved, and Al is one of them. Everyone loved Al," Osborne said.
The plane crashed about 10 a.m. off Andrew Hale Road near Littleton, about 5 miles southwest of the airport.
The cause of the crash is under investigation.