Agnes E. Imregh’s zest for life, her dedication to work, and her love for her family were paralleled by her passion for flying her single-engine Mooney airplane.

Yesterday, a 57-year-old woman who fled the Soviet Union’s takeover of Hungary as a child died when her small plane crashed near the Neponset River, according to authorities.

Imregh, the only person aboard the aircraft, was killed instantly in the crash, which happened at about 10:11 a.m. Federal investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the accident.

Canton Police Chief Kenneth N. Berkowitz said witnesses reported hearing the plane sputter moments before it went down. Drivers traveling on Interstate 95 also told police they saw the aircraft flying unusually low before it disappeared into nearby woods.

Norwood Police spokesman Paul Bishop said officials at Norwood Municipal Airport had been communicating with the plane as it approached for landing. Airport personnel contacted police after they suddenly lost communication with the aircraft.

“The plane was about to land and they lost communication,” Bishop said. He added that the pilot never reported any problems before contact with the air traffic control tower ended.

However, Bishop said both local and state police received calls from motorists on Route 95 who believed the plane appeared to be in distress.

The crash occurred about a mile south of Norwood Municipal Airport in a swampy, heavily wooded area. Authorities noted that the plane did not catch fire after impact.

“She had been flying for years and loved it,” said her son, Anthony M. Candido. “She was a good pilot.”

Candido said his mother and grandparents escaped Hungary through Austria in 1956 after Soviet forces crushed a democratic uprising in which his grandfather had participated. The family later settled in Washington, D.C., where Imregh was raised.

A graduate of Harvard University and Harvard Business School, Imregh built a successful career as a marketing executive in the high-tech industry in California and Massachusetts. She worked for companies including Atex, Data General, Morgan Stanley, and NEC.

“She was brilliant and lived life on her own terms with great passion,” Candido said.

Imregh moved to a quiet neighborhood in Dover four years ago, where neighbors described her as private and often away from home.

“She was a very private woman,” neighbor Elizabeth Sheehan said. “She kept a beautiful home. It’s very sad.”

Her husband, Jeffrey S. Bostwick, speaking from Bucks County, Pennsylvania, said her frequent travel was connected to her work as a senior marketing manager in Pittsburgh for Sony Ericsson, a supplier in the cellphone industry.

The couple met through an online dating service three years ago and married 18 months ago. They maintained separate homes and regularly flew to visit one another on weekends. Inspired by his wife’s passion for aviation, Bostwick later earned his own pilot’s license.

Imregh had logged more than 1,500 hours of flight time and was experienced in instrument flying. Her 1979 Mooney M20J aircraft had recently passed its annual mechanical inspection and was considered to be in excellent condition.

Candido said he shared brunch with his mother the day before the crash.

“She was a loving mother and grandmother with a lot of passion for her family and friends,” he said.

Bostwick reflected on their relationship and the sudden loss.

“She was the best thing that ever happened to me,” he said. “We didn’t have a lot of time together, and I will miss her terribly.”

At the time of the crash, skies were rainy and overcast, though officials said it was not immediately clear whether weather played a role. Jim Peters, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration, said the cause of the crash remains under investigation.

Original article Wickedlocal