she was a passenger on a homebuilt Whitman Tailwind being flown by someone else. Tailwinds have been built since the 1950s and have a pretty good reputation for flying qualities and performance. The crash sounds very much like a departure stall to me.

I think it's important not to fixate on the aviation aspect of her death. Accidents happen all the time. Would her death have been any less tragic had she died in an auto accident? People die all the time in accidents.

There are quite a few doctors who are good pilots. However, some doctors have a bad reputation for arrogance that can get them into trouble. Having more money than most people, they can often afford higher performance planes than most people. This sometimes leads them to buying planes that are more demanding than their pilot skills. For example, the v-tailed Beech Bonanza is a good airplane but has a reputation for losing a lot of altitude in a stall. Quite a few doctors met their maker while flying Bonanzas, so many that the plane picked up the nickname "Forked Tail Doctor Killer."

Being better educated than most people, doctors are often good students and are quick to absorb new information. They can afford better training than most of us and most take advantage of these opportunities. I've know quite a few doctor pilots and wouldn't hesitate to fly with most of them. It's a matter of aptitude and attitude. I won't fly with someone who has a bad attitude nor would I go up with someone who has poor aptitude.