Former 'Bachelor' contestant killed in plane crash

George Pennacchio Image
Thursday, March 24, 2016
Former 'Bachelor' contestant killed in plane crash
The female pilot who was killed after the ultralight aircraft she was flying crashed in Hawthorne was a former contestant on 'The Bachelor,' Erin Storm.

VENICE, LOS ANGELES -- The female pilot who was killed after the ultralight aircraft she was flying crashed in Hawthorne was a former contestant on "The Bachelor," Erin Storm.

The Airborne XT-912, a glider-like three-wheeled craft with a rear engine, crashed around noon Monday in the 3600 block of 120th Street near the Hawthorne Municipal Airport.

Storm's friends gathered on the beach in Venice Tuesday night to share stories about someone they all loved.

Storm's Facebook page says she was a pilot at an aircraft training facility based at Hawthorne's airport, right near where she crashed.

"Erin Storm was the most beautiful, amazing human being I've ever known. She was the brightest light. She touched everybody's lives," said Donna Trousdale, a friend.

Storm's friends are crushed by her untimely passing. She was engaged, had set a date for her wedding and just bought the dress she'd be wearing to walk down the aisle.

Fans of "The Bachelor" may remember Storm from her brief time on season 12, the "London Calling" year with British bachelor Matt Grant.

Storm's friends now hang on to the love of their friend, knowing inside that her spirit still soars.

"She impacted all of these lives tremendously. She was a gift to all who knew her," Trousdale said.

The cause of the crash remains unknown.