A wave of sorrow has swept through the city of Melrose and the wider aviation community following the tragic death of 30-year-old Geoffrey Andrews, a gifted pilot, devoted husband, and aspiring astronaut, who was killed in a plane crash near Beverly Regional Airport on the morning of Thursday, June 19.
Andrews, a graduate of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University, was piloting a single-engine Mooney M20F aircraft en route to Ticonderoga Municipal Airport in New York when the plane went down just moments after takeoff. He had radioed the control tower to report engine trouble and attempted to return to the airfield. Eyewitnesses say the aircraft made a slow, banking left turn before plummeting and crashing along Sam Fonzo Drive, an industrial road adjacent to the airport. Dark smoke was seen near the engine or landing gear moments before impact.
Emergency responders arrived quickly, but Andrews was pronounced dead at the scene. A second occupant, whose identity has not been officially released, was critically injured and transported to Beverly Hospital. Debris from the crash was scattered across the roadway and surrounding trees.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), and Massachusetts State Police have launched a joint investigation into the crash. A preliminary report is expected within the next two weeks.
To those who knew him, Geoffrey Andrews was far more than a skilled aviator. He was a dreamer, a creator, and a beloved friend who lived with an unshakable sense of purpose.
He earned his commercial pilot license in 2019 and had since devoted himself to a wide range of flying experiences—ferrying aircraft, performing aerobatics, volunteering as a glider pilot, and actively training to become a certified flight instructor. His lifelong dream: to one day journey into space as an astronaut.
Friends say that dream wasn’t just ambition—it was a reflection of Geoffrey’s fearless love for exploration and his boundless curiosity.
But for all his aviation accomplishments, Geoffrey’s greatest joy was his life with his wife, Gentry. Together, they shared a deep bond rooted in love, music, and a shared spirit of adventure. Geoffrey played piano, sang in choirs, and frequently performed with Gentry, their voices and talents blending as harmoniously as their lives.
Now, Gentry—six months pregnant with their first child—is left facing a future that once brimmed with promise, now shadowed by unimaginable loss. The heartbreak is compounded by the recent death of her mother, plunging the family into profound grief.
Tributes have poured in across social media and aviation forums, remembering Geoffrey not just for his flying skills, but for his warmth, intellect, and generosity of spirit. Former classmates, fellow pilots, and even strangers inspired by his story have shared words of remembrance and solidarity.