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Dearborn community honors pilot killed in crash with high school jersey retirement

Kevin Kreger was an instructor flying with 22-year-old U of M student when plane crashed

DEARBORN, Mich. – A pilot killed in a plane crash had his jersey retired at Dearborn High School.

Kevin Kreger, a 46-year-old man from Dearborn, died June 10 in a Washtenaw County plane crash.

Kreger was an instructor flying with a 22-year-old University of Michigan student when the plane crashed.

Kreger’s family attended Thursday’s (Aug. 29) Dearborn High School football game, during which his #16 jersey was retired before the kickoff.

Kreger was a four-year letterman in two sports during his time at Dearborn High School.

His family members all wore No. 16 jerseys to the game, where he was honored.

“Just the outpouring of love from the community has been absolutely amazing,” said Kreger’s sister Kelly Beckett.

Kreger, a father of two, was a chiropractor and a flight instructor training to become a commercial pilot.

His wife Melissa was among those in attendance for Thursday’s game.

“Raising children here, we kind of knew the legacy Kevin had, but this is definitely an overwhelming show of what a great man and what a great bridge in the community he really was,” Melissa said.

A preliminary NTSB investigation report into the crash points to no obvious cause of what happened.


About the Author
Jacqueline Francis headshot

Jacqueline Francis is an award-winning journalist who joined the WDIV team in September 2022. Prior to Local 4, she reported for the NBC affiliate in West Michigan. When she’s not on the job, Jacqueline enjoys taking advantage of all the wonders Michigan has to offer, from ski trips up north to beach days with her dog, Ace.

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