Wife Of Pilot Killed In AF Canyon Plane Crash Hopes His Legacy Inspires Others

SALEM, Utah – Janette Brummett hoped to never receive a call like the one she received on July 3. The love of her life, Tyson Brummett, was killed in a crash while flying as an instructor above American Fork Canyon. 

“I just kept thinking, ‘no’ — of course you’re in denial at the start, and just know it can’t be real,” she said.

Tyson Brummett, Alex Ruegner and Ruegner’s aunt and uncle, Elaine and Douglas Blackhurst, were killed on impact. The cause of the crash is under investigation.

#EXCLUSIVE “It’s like he walked out the front door one day and never came back.”

Next at 10:00, hear from the wife of former Phillies pitcher #TysonBrummett who was one of 4 who died in a plane crash up AF Canyon. @KSL5TV pic.twitter.com/DdXf25reJp

— Ashley Moser (@AshleyMoser) July 24, 2020

“We didn’t get to see the body. We didn’t have that type of closure that you often get,” she said. “It’s like they walked out the door one day and they never came back home, and that is hard to deal with.”

Brummett said her husband earned his commercial pilot license over a year ago and has been flying as an instructor, which is what he was doing the day of the crash.

Before taking to the skies, the Salem native was a professional baseball pitcher for teams around the world, including the Philadelphia Phillies.

“He definitely was the underdog when he was younger, but he could just throw really hard so anyone who played with him always talked about his sportsmanship and he was very dedicated,” Brummett said.

To help honor her husband, Brummett has set up the Tyson and Janette Brummett Foundation, aimed at providing baseball gloves and equipment to local children in need. 

“He would definitely want everyone to keep pursuing their dreams and to be happy,” she said.