Golf Pro and His Three Children Tragically Killed in Plane Crash

By Amanda Thomason July 8, 2020 at 12:03pm

On Sunday, PGA pro Sean Fredrickson boarded a plane with his three kids as they set out on an adventure over the beautiful Coeur d’Alene Lake in Idaho.

It was supposed to be a fun day out, an experience that would bring them all together and something they would remember for years to come.

However, at 2:20 p.m., their plane collided with another plane, and the two aircraft and their occupants began to sink to the bottom of the lake.

“Multiple Marine Units, US Coast Guard Units, Fire Units from Worley Fire, CDA Fire and Eastside Fire also responded to the area,” the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office posted on Facebook.

“Witnesses reported two planes that collided above the water and crashed into the Lake. The planes are in about 120-130 feet of water. It is unknown what type of planes were involved or how many occupants were on each plane.”

Between the two planes there were eight lives, and all were lost in the tragic crash.

Four of the eight were Fredrickson and his three children: Hayden, 16, his biological son; Sofia, 15, his stepdaughter; and Quinn, 11, his stepson.

A horrible loss for the Lake Oswego community. Sean Fredrickson’s wife, April, tells me her husband & their 3 children boarded a float plane at Lake Coeur d’Alene yesterday. Their plane & another collided over lake, then sank. 8 people believed to be dead, per @KootenaiSheriff pic.twitter.com/DyA7jkQHHZ

— Brenna Kelly (@BrennaKellyNews) July 6, 2020

Fredrickson’s wife, April, spoke to KPTV-TV about her family, recognizing their joy for life and how they died doing something they loved.

“My family died while they were on an adventure,” she said. “Everyone was so excited to be on that plane … I think that, at the end of the day, they died doing what they loved which was, you know, being together.”

“My stepson had just gotten his license, and he had his car … and he had a girlfriend and just his life was good. His life was so incredibly good, and he was a happy kid.”

“My daughter was 15 and she loved life, she literally loved life.”

“My little guy was Quinn. He was 11 and he was my best friend. He was just always in tune with what I needed.”

Brian Olsen, Sofia and Quinn’s biological father, said his children “constantly remind me of all the experiences to cherish in our world this day and every day.”

The PGA also recognized Fredrickson’s accomplishments and contributions to the sport, highlighting how many people he’d mentored and how much that had meant to him.