Air Force Maj. Duane W. Dively, 43, Yuba City; Killed in Crash of U-2 Spy Plane

Duane W. Dively fell in love with flying when his mother took him took him on a $25 airplane ride at an air show when he was 7 years old.

Nineteen years later, he joined the Air Force and became part of an elite group of pilots who fly aircraft that are considered to be the military’s most challenging to land.

On June 22, Dively, a U-2 spy plane pilot and instructor, died when his aircraft crashed in Southwest Asia, according to the Department of Defense. He was heading back to his base in the United Arab Emirates after completing a mission in Afghanistan for Operation Enduring Freedom.

The cause of the crash is under investigation.

“He absolutely loved flying U-2s,” said his father, William Dively. “He never said he was afraid. He would say, ‘Dad, I’m well-trained. I know what I’m doing.’ ”

Dively, 43, of Yuba City, Calif., was assigned to the 1st Reconnaissance Squadron at Beale Air Force Base north of Sacramento. He had flown U-2s for 10 years, often volunteering for weekend duty so other pilots could spend time with their families. Before that, he had flown AC-130s for five years in Mogadishu, Somalia; and Sarajevo, Bosnia-Herzegovina.

William Dively said his son enjoyed doing a little bit of everything: He wrestled and played baseball and football in high school; he was a runner and a cyclist into his 40s; he played the piano and guitar and was part of a band in high school; and he did wiring, plumbing and carpentry.

If he didn’t know how to do something, his father said, he would go to the library and teach himself. “He was my renaissance man,” he said. “He could do anything.”

With an associate’s degree in electronics, Dively enlisted in the Marine Corps in 1982 after hundreds of refugees were killed in Beirut. During his four-year tenure, he worked toward a bachelor’s degree in business.

Once his term was complete, he worked for a logistics company in Virginia until the Air Force accepted him into its pilot training program in 1988.

The family last saw Duane Dively two years ago at his brother’s wedding and last spoke to him on the phone in April. On Father’s Day, William Dively received an e-mail greeting card from his son.

“He was wonderful,” William Dively said. “I can’t praise him enough. We can’t believe this has happened.”

In addition to his father, Dively is survived by his mother, Donata; his wife of 21 years, Beth Ann; and his younger brother, David.