So far, authorities have no idea what caused the tragedy. Other details are coming out daily.
Gene Hackman was 95 years old and had left Hollywood’s glitz and glamour behind. Besty was his second wife, whom he married in 1991.
Gene was said to be a recluse who lived a quiet life with his wife. After leaving the fast-paced life of the movie industry behind, Gene picked up a few hobbies. These were initially to keep his mind occupied and his body active. One of these was flying.
Andy Wells, one of Gene Hackman’s former flight instructors, said Gene Hackman was a skilled and licensed pilot, and his wife Betsy Arakawa was also becoming interested in flying.
In an interview with Fox News, Andy said that he doubted Gene had soared high in the mountains and that Gene hadn’t flown in a long time.
The couple met with Andy and wanted to get back to flying. Since Gene was already a licensed pilot and they had flown together multiple times, it didn’t take much for him to acquire recurrence.
Andy also told how Betsy was getting interested in flying and wanted to learn more. She mainly wanted to learn for emergency purposes, so Andy planned a course accordingly.
He and Betsy had agreed that Betsy would receive a pinch-hitter course. This refers to a shortened pilot course in which the student improves just enough to have a very high likelihood of successfully landing if they had to take over the controls.
Andy also said Gene was looking forward to returning to the cockpit. He was eager to climb into that aircraft and turn on the engine. He was excited. He had a deep affection for aircraft. He had a passion for flying.
According to Wells, the couple became more reclusive later in life. With my age catching up to them, they started to remain low-key. He talked about Betsy and how she was otherwise a quiet and shy person. She would become invisible many times because he would hardly talk to people. Even during learning how to fly, people would even realise Betsy was around.
He called the couple very much in love. They were joined at the hip, recalled Andy. He wonders if Betsy became more reclusive because of Gene. However, he remembers the couple fondly.
Gene Hackman has always been interested in flying. He bought a two-seater plane in 1990, but he was not allowed to fly it due to insurance reasons. That’s why, once he left movies, he got back into his hobby.
We can only assume that Gene and Betsy got to live their life peacefully and do things they enjoyed.
