HOUSTON — Family and friends are mourning the loss of a longtime pilot who died in a crash outside the West Houston Airport on Saturday.
Sherod Coleman, 49, was the only person on board the plane when it went down around 10:30 p.m. Friends who watched Coleman fly that night believe something out of Coleman’s control caused him to crash.
Coleman’s sister said he went into aviation school to fly for UPS but decided to fly for leisure instead.
“He did his first solo (flight) ... from that point on he was in the clouds,” Samuela Coleman said.
Investigators said the plane appeared to hit a power line, which caused damage and power outages in the area.
“He was just a good person, we were like best friends, it was like he and I against the world,” Samuela said.
She said her brother was a psychotherapist after earning his Master's degree from Prairie View A&M University in 2002. She said he worked with UPS for 30 years. Sherod was also named a member of the Marquis Who’s Who in February 2023.
Sherod was in the process of writing a book about his work in mental health care.
“His patients were so hurt when we reached out to them because he was helping them with their issues. They really loved Sherod,” Samuela said.
Sherod’s work with UPS led to friendships with Laketitrick Richards and Larry Tennyson Jr.
“We went from celebrating to tragedy just like that,” Tennyson Jr. said.
He said Sherod was in the process of opening a new office for his therapy clients. The friends said they saw something odd in the sky the night Coleman died.
“This blue aura lit up the sky, it was, like, what was that? And it blacked out everything,” Richards said.
Sherod would take his 7-year-old son, Winston, on flights. Family members said he recorded more than 2,000 flights since 2005.
“He just made an impact on people wherever he went and he was just a good guy,” Samuela said.
She also wants others to know her brother was experienced and meticulous when it came to flying.
“It wasn’t his negligence in flying an aircraft,” Samuela said.
The FAA is still investigating the crash, and the cause is currently unknown. The family is planning on publishing Sherod’s book in honor of his life.