Prominent real estate lawyer Oliver E. Frascona died Sunday in a plane crash that also killed real estate educator Tori Rains-Wedan and her three children.

Oliver_Frascona

Oliver Frascona

Frascona, 67, was a senior shareholder at Boulder, Colorado-based law firm Frascona, Joiner, Goodman and Greenstein P.C. The firm represents some 25 Realtor boards in Colorado and services the Colorado Association of Realtors’ legal hotline for members.

“We grieve with the real estate community in the sudden and tragic passing of our friend and colleague, Oliver Frascona. Our thoughts and prayers are with his family and loved ones,” the firm said in a statement on its website.

“Oliver was a brilliant legal strategist, and a highly sought-after speaker on real estate and agency law. To his many friends and clients, he was fiercely dedicated and loyal. To the many thousands in Colorado and throughout our nation who came to seminars to hear him speak, he was unforgettable.”

Frascona was attempting to land his single-engine Piper PA-46 just before noon at an airport in Erie, Colorado, but crashed in a field short of the runway, the Boulder Daily Camera reported. The six-passenger plane is registered to Frascona’s The Real Estate School LLC, the newspaper said.

Fellow pilots told the Daily Camera that Frascona just bought the plane this spring, but that he learned to fly in the Navy and was an experienced pilot.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the accident. An NTSB investigator told ABC News 7 that the plane’s landing gear was still stowed at the time of the crash.

Tori Rains-Wedan

Tori Rains-Wedan

Frascona’s girlfriend, 41-year-old Tori Rains-Wedan, and her three children, 15-year-old Mason Wedan and 11-year-old twin brothers, Austin and Hunter, also died.

Rains-Wedan, a former real estate broker and trainer, founded Educated Minds LLC, a continuing education school for real estate professionals, in 2010. Educated Minds was an “authorized agent” for The Real Estate School LLC, according to course descriptions posted on the Internet.

Frascona was a columnist for Realtor Magazine between 2001 and 2008 where he wrote about brokerage law, agency, and fair housing concerns, according to the magazine. He also authored seven versions of his reference book for real estate pros, “The Paper Trail,” updated to “The Digital Paper Trail” in recent editions.

Re/Max co-founder Dave Liniger had known Frascona since the ’70s, when he became Re/Max’s first outside lawyer, Liniger told Inside Real Estate News. Liniger described Frascona as a “very high-energy and enthusiastic” person who “laughed a lot” and was a “powerful speaker.”

“He had an unbelievable knowledge and understanding of the industry. He was a great friends of Realtors, boards of Realtors and multiple listing services. He promoted doing business correctly. And he literally educated thousands of us,” Liniger said.

Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×