Former White House official identified as passenger killed after jet turbulence

A passenger who died after a private jet hit turbulence as it traveled over the New England area has been identified as Dana Hyde, a prominent Beltway lawyer and White House official who served in both the Clinton and Obama administrations, as well as on the 9/11 Commission.

Hyde was flying with two crew members and three other passengers aboard a Conexon-owned jet destined for Leesburg, Va., on Friday. The aircraft experienced severe turbulence not long after it departed from Keene, N.H., NBC News reported.

The Bombardier executive jet was forced to make an emergency landing at Bradley International Airport just north of Hartford, and Hyde was rushed by ambulance to Saint Francis Medical Center in Hartford. She was pronounced dead a short time later.

“We can confirm that the aircraft was owned by Conexon and that Dana Hyde was the wife of Conexon partner Jonathan Chambers,” company spokesperson Abby Carere said in an email to NBC.

“Jonathan and his son were on the flight also and not injured in the incident.”

Conexon specializes in expanding high-speed internet service to rural communities.

According to Hyde’s personal bio, she worked as chief executive officer of the Millennium Challenge Corp. and served in President Barack Obama’s administration for eight years, during which time she filled roles at the Office of Management and Budget and State Department.

She also served as counsel for the 9/11 Commission and as special assistant to the deputy attorney general during President Bill Clinton’s tenure in the White House.

The National Security Transportation Board continued to investigate the accident on Tuesday. Investigators are in the process of interviewing the flight’s crew members and other passengers, and they have also taken possession of the cockpit voice recorder and flight data recorders.