Hello Jeff -

A real tough break for Dr. Robertson - it looks like she was trying to improve her capabilities and her chances of spaceflight by learning how to fly and getting her pilot's license.
(This differs from Sea's case, if I remember right, as Sea simply liked to fly and recieved addition pay for doing so.)
Burns like those are a whole lot of hurt, but with modern burn therapies the chances of both her and her instructor surviving are pretty good.
Why the plane caught a wing tip will probably emerge in the next couple of days - maybe wind gust, mechanical failure, or unseen obstruction at the field -
A more important question is why the fire - race cars have fuel cells which seal, crash cages, and fire-resistant interiors - things all lacking in general aviation aircraft We've been losing this industry for a long time, largely due to insurance problems - NASA attempted to breath some life into it, but a Cesna still runs about $150,000 - there has been no improvement -
Hoping Dr. Robertson has a speedy recovery -

EP

BTW - Nothing against Tito, but this is what the right stuff is