East Texas Doctor Killed in Plane Crash

McCOMB, Miss. (AP) – Authorities say a thoracic surgeon with ties to Mississippi and Texas was killed in a weekend plane crash along with his wife and her sister. Pike County, Miss., Coroner Percy Pittman said the crash killed 52-year-old Dr. Taylor Pickett; his wife, 22-year-old Laura Pickett of Summit, Miss.; and her sister, 29-year-old Jacquelyn Ham of Meadville, Miss. The Cessna 310R, a dual-engine propeller craft, crashed Sunday about 4:30 a.m. into trees near the McComb-Pike County Airport on its way from New Orleans to McComb, Miss. Officials say Dr. Pickett was a cardiologist and thoracic, or chest, surgeon who worked for McComb’s Mississippi Cardiovascular Institute before going to work in Lufkin, Texas. McComb Police Chief Greg Martin said the pilot spent time in both Summit, Miss., and Texas.