Kyle Franklin and Amanda Younkin were destined for each other.
Kyle's father, Jimmy Franklin, was a famous professional aerobatic pilot.
Kyle began his own professional aerobatic career at the age of 17 as a wing walker on his father's biplane.
Amanda's father, Bobby Younkin also was a famous professional aerobatic pilot. In fact, Jimmy and Bobby performed together at air shows where, among other routines, they simulated World War I aerial dogfights. Amanda herself had her first solo flight at age 16.
Kyle and Amanda met and fell in love.
Then, on July 10, 2005,
tragedy struck when their fathers were killed instantly in a mid-air crash while performing their dogfight routine. Both Kyle and Amanda were on the ground watching when it happened.
Life, however, continued. On August 1, Kyle
proposed to Amanda.:
With Amanda still asleep in her bed, Kyle flew his Cub to the Younkin's Fayetteville house, landed on the airstrip then proceeded to call her on the telephone.
While she was still on the phone, her mom, Jeanie, hurriedly called Amanda downstairs to "see something happening outside." She stumbled down the stairs and goes outside to find Kyle, dressed in his Sunday best holding a beautiful bouquet of roses. As he dropped to his knee and proposed, Amanda quietly said "yes" and cried.
They were married on October 18.
In 2009, Amanda Franklin began her own professional aerobatic career – as a wing walker for her husband. They entertained airshow audiences with their own
pirate-themed routine.
(video)However, on March 12, 2011, tragedy struck again at another airshow. While performing their routine,
the engine of the airplane stalled. While Kyle was able to keep the plane relatively level, Amanda crawled into the front cockpit seat and strapped herself. Kyle then landed the plane as best he could.
(Video from Today) (Article and video from KRQE)On impact, the plane engine caught fire and the wind blew the flames back toward the cockpit. Kyle attempted to reach into the front seat to undo Amanda's harness. However, the flames were to intense for him to do so. He called for help, and rescuers were finally able to free Amanda. Both were airlifted to the hospital.
Kyle was released from the hospital after two weeks. Amanda remained in the hospital.
Kyle held out hope that Amanda would return to the skies with him. However,
the full extent of her injuries soon became apparent.
She sustained fractures to her face, neck, and back. She had 3rd degree burns over 64% of her body – which made skin grafting from the rest of her body almost impossible. She also had injuries from inhaling smoke and fire.
On May 26, things went very badly. This is directly from Kyle's
Facebook entry:
Amanda had a really hard day. During dressing change this morning she started bleeding really bad and they had a hard time stoping it. Her body has gotten to the point that if you touch her or even look at her wrong she starts bleeding and her blood is not coagulating. Her wounds today looked more infected then the last three days and the antibiotics don't seem to be doing much. Her kidneys have almost completely shut down, her liver is starting to fail and she looks like she was still in a lot of pain. The doctors believe she wouldn't make it another two weeks in time for the EpiCels much less the procedure and I have to agree after seeing her wounds. So, I made the hardest decision of my life today and put her on Comfort Care. They have taken her off most everything with the exception of the ventilator, sedation meds and pain meds. They placed her in a more comfortable position and are doing everything to make her as comfortable as possible.
I believe at this point this is what she would want me to do. I also believe if she did pull through at this point she would kill me for it, a month ago I would have said otherwise. This is a decision I never in my life would have thought I would have to make nor ever wanted too. But, I don't want her to go through another four weeks of hell when we know it will do no good. We do not have a time table on things, most likely a day or two. I will continue to keep you all updated.
Know that she is not alone her mom, brother and his wife, my mother, myself and all of you in spirit are here with her. I feel Amanda will be very happy to see her dad, my dad and of corse Jackson again. But the hardest thing is she's leaving us all behind, till another day.
Amanda my love, I love you with all my heart, soul and everything I am. Our life together here was supposed to be seventy years not seven, but I look forward to seeing you in my dreams every night my love.
Thank you all for your love, support and help through all this.
Goodnight and God bless,
Kyle
Amanda Younkin Franklin
passed away on May 27, 2011 at 10:10 PM Central Time at the Brooke Army Medical Center in San Antonio, TX.
Kyle Franklin's
Facebook entry:
It is with a broken heart that I tell you that my beautiful girl Amanda passed away at 10:10 central time this evening. Beside her was her adoring husband Kyle, her mother Jeanie, her brother Matt, her sister-in-law Michelle and her devoted mother-in-law Audean.
Thank you all again for your love,
Goodnight and God bless Amanda,
Kyle
