(CNN) -- Authorities say an 18-year-old pageant contestant who also happened to be a pilot died after she crashed in a plane while practicing takeoffs and landings Saturday.
According to a report by CNN, Lake Little, of Starkville, Mississippi, was practicing "touch and gos" in a single engine airplane. Touch and gos are an exercise in which a pilot lands on a runway, then takes off again before circling around the airport to land and repeat the process.
The flight came to a tragic end when the single-engine plane crashed on the Ole Miss Golf Course in Oxford, Mississippi, according to University of Mississippi spokesman Rod Guajardo.
Little was a licensed private pilot flying a plane affiliated with the Civil Air Patrol, Guajardo said in a statement.
The teen suffered serious burns in the fiery crash and was airlifted to a Memphis-area trauma center where she succumbed to her injuries Saturday, according to Guajardo.
Little, whose dream was to fly for FedEx, was also scheduled to compete in the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition later this month, according to the competition's Facebook page.
Her biography on the competition's website said Little was majoring in Speech Pathology and Audiology at the University of Southern Mississippi and wanted to own a speech pathology clinic while maintaining a career as a pilot.
Condolences from around the state poured in after Little's passing, with Gov. Phil Bryant tweeting about her untimely death, saying, "Such sad news about Lake Little. A beautiful light has passed from this world far too soon. Deborah and I pray the dear Lord would assuage the pain and grief of her parents and family."
Such sad news about Lake Little. A beautiful light has passed from this world far too soon. Deborah and I pray the dear Lord would assuage the pain and grief of her parents and family. https://t.co/iP2xJkSdns
— Phil Bryant (@PhilBryantMS) July 7, 2019
Starkville Mayor Lynn Spruill said in a Twitter post, "She was a star for us and had such a great plan for her life commitment to others. Flying was her love and her passion."
"The loss of such a bright, shining young life is devastating, and our entire organization is heartbroken. Our thoughts and prayers are with the Little family and countless others impacted by Lake's sweet and beautiful spirit," the Mississippi Miss Hospitality Competition said in a Facebook post Sunday.
"Through her grace, intelligence and passion for her community and state, Lake epitomized the highest virtues of Miss Hospitality. Her light will forever shine as an incredible example to us all."
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