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The pilot from Toronto, Canada died Monday morning, June 17, when her twin engine Piper plane crashed just moments after taking off from Albany International Airport.
Gillis, the aircraft’s sole occupant, was pronounced dead at the scene, according to Colonie Police. The cause of the crash remains under investigation by the NTSB.
Her employer, KASI Aviation Services, confirmed her death in a Facebook tribute posted Thursday morning, June 20.
“Natalie was a passionate and very talented pilot with an adventurous spirit and palpable zest for life,” the company said. “We are heartbroken by the tragic loss, and our thoughts and sincere sympathies go out to the family and those close to her.”
Gillis’ death came a little over a month after she announced on Facebook that she had obtained her Airline Transport Pilot (ATP) Certificate, the highest certification a pilot can get. It requires 1,500 hours of total flight time.
“After many hours of studying, taking tests, and making personal sacrifices, Natalie flew others to the Canadian Arctic and slept under her wing in Antarctica,” Scott Forsyth wrote on Facebook. “The sky was literally the limit to the professional opportunities awaiting her.”
Gillis’ talents extended beyond piloting; she was also an acclaimed wilderness and landscape photographer with some of her work gracing the cover of Canadian Geographic magazine.
“Natalie has experienced more of our world than most of us will ever know. From guiding people along the dynamic flow edge of the Canadian Arctic, to sailing the Drake Passage to Antarctica, she shared with us her keen vision through her camera lens, which she paired with words that paint images in our imagination,” Forsyth said.
She was also a poet, having released her first book, "This is Where Atlantis Sank," in 2021.
Among Gillis’ most memorable adventures, according to her obituary, were observing narwhals breach in Nunavut, trekking through the valleys of Baffin Island, encountering penguins and icebergs while sea kayaking in Antarctica, and experiencing the world from the bird’s-eye view of her plane, the Twin Otter.
“Never thwarted by limitations that would stymie most, she always followed through on her dreams,” her memorial said. “Natalie was epic. She was loved. She lived life to the fullest.”
Gillis is survived by her mother Mary Yap, brother Matthew Yap, 11-year-old rescue dog Stikine, and many cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends.
Funeral services are scheduled for 1p.m. Sunday, June 23, in Toronto.
The NTSB is expected to release a preliminary report on the crash within three weeks.
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