GIRL PILOT, 2 OTHERS KILLED : PLANE GOES DOWN IN COLD RAIN.

Byline: Sam Howe Verhovek The New York Times

A 7-year-old California girl on a quest to become the youngest cross-country pilot was killed Thursday when her single-engine plane crashed shortly after takeoff in thunder and driving sleet, killing her, her father, and a flight instructor.

Brown-haired, 4-foot-2-inch Jessica Dubroff had flown out of Half Moon Bay, Calif., on Wednesday and executed a flawless landing in high winds that evening in Cheyenne. But Thursday morning her plane, bound for the next stopover in Indiana and ultimately for Cape Cod, Mass., crashed as it apparently was trying to circle back to the airport just moments after it lifted off in Cheyenne.

Although Jessica was clearly at the controls as the four-seat, Cessna 177B took off, authorities could not say Thursday evening whether or not the veteran flight instructor, Joe Reid, 52, had taken command of the craft in the final moments before, eyewitnesses said, it plunged, almost straight down, hit a residential street nose first, and flipped over. All three people aboard were dead at the scene.

``I was shocked to see an airplane taking off in these weather conditions - my wipers on high speed could barely keep up,'' said Mel Montoya, a clerk at a Sam's Club store who was stopped in his car at an intersection near the airport. ``The plane was struggling and dipping.''

Jessica was breaking no aviation rules when she flew. The plane had dual sets of controls, meaning that the flight instructor legally was considered in charge and had the ability to take control instantly, though the plans called for Reid to take over only in an emergency. But within hours of the crash, federal authorities announced that they would re-examine existing regulations on underage pilots.

Soon after the crash, the exploits and death of the spunky, freckle-faced Jessica with her ``Women Fly'' baseball cap commanded the day's headlines on CNN and local news programs from coast to coast.

Mourners converged on the crash site, where the police had quickly placed a heavy tarpaulin over the wreckage, leaving flowers, stuffed animals, and written scraps of Bible verse. ``God's newest little angel,'' read one note.

After landing in Cheyenne late Wednesday in a Cessna outfitted with a booster seat so she could see out the window and extensions on the pedals so her legs could reach them, Jessica quickly captivated people in Cheyenne at a news conference at the airport.

``It's been a long day,'' she said then. ``I can't wait until the next day. I can't wait to sleep. I had two hours of sleep last night.''

Her father, Lloyd, said: ``She really does love to fly. This started off as a father-daughter adventure and it's gotten wonderfully out of hand.''

Barely 12 hours later, Jessica was dead. Her mother, Lisa Blair Hathaway, said she heard no word of problems as the three began to take off. Hathaway spoke via cellular telephone to Jessica moments before the takeoff in Cheyenne.

``Do you hear the rain?'' Jessica had asked her excitedly. ``Do you hear the rain?''

``I beg people to let children fly if they want to fly,'' a teary-eyed Hathaway told the Associated Press before flying from Boston to Wyoming to claim her daughter's body. She had flown ahead to Massachusetts to await the arrival of Jessica and her ex-husband.

``Clearly, I would want all my children to die in a state of joy. I mean, what more could I ask for? I would prefer it was not at age 7 but, God, she went with her joy and her passion, and her life was in her hands,'' Hathaway said.

CAPTION(S):

3 Photos, Map

Photo: (1--Color) Jessica Dubroff had a smile for r eporters Wednesday at the Cheyenne Airport the day before the crash.

Associated Press

(2--Color) The wreckage of the plane is hoisted by a crane Thursday at the crash scene.

Associated Press

(3) Jessica Dubroff cuddles with her father, Lloyd, on Wednesday before taking off from Half Moon Bay, Calif.

Associated Press

Map: (Color) (Flight plan of Jessican Dubroff)

Associated Press