An practicing easyJet pilot died after being bitten by a mosquito and developing an infection that spread to his brain, according to research.
Oriana Pepper, 21, of Bury St Edmunds, had “a wonderful career and life ahead of her” after passing the airline’s training program theory exams.
But while training in Belgium she was bitten by a mosquito in the forehead and appeared to be swollen and infected, an investigation was heard.
He went to A&E on July 7, 2021 and was prescribed antibiotics.
But Mrs. Pepper was taken back to the hospital two days later by her boyfriend James Hall after she collapsed, and died three days later.
Suffolk chief coroner Nigel Parsley, recording a narrative conclusion, said Mrs Pepper died “as a result of a serious infection caused by an insect bite on the forehead”.
He told his parents, “I had never seen a case like this before.
“It’s just one of those things that’s such an unfortunate tragedy for a young woman who clearly had a wonderful career and life ahead of her.”
Its medical cause of death was recorded as septic emboli in the brain, which are obstructions of blood vessels, with infection by bacteria called staphylococcus aureus and an insect bite on the forehead also contributing.
In a statement read during the survey, Pepper said his daughter “loved nothing better than to fly with her father and brother Oliver, also an intern commercial pilot.”
He said his daughter described flying as “having an office in the sky among the clouds.”
He added: “He had met someone he loved, was training to be a commercial pilot and was fulfilling his dreams.”
Her mother said after the investigation that, in memory of her daughter, they had “set up a small scholarship to encourage other women pilots” to enter the profession, working with the British Women Pilots Association.
“That’s a positive thing in his life,” he said.