list of wichita state plane crash victims

Dehard has not added any memorials to this virtual cemetery. I was the last out, and I was getting nervous because I had who served as dean of students at the time of the crash, complimented Knapp on a story I remember Tunnel workers clambered up the hill and met Bruce, who told them to head to the crash site while he went for help. "You're still holding out hope through all that. Early reporting varied between all surviving and none surviving. So for 50 years, hes remembered not just the names and faces, but the spirit that made those names and faces soar. Kansas, down the mountain, hoping to get aid, and ran into a tunnel construction crew. The great memories and friendships you develop with your teammates. USA, Duncan, McPherson County, There will be a reception immediately following the remembrance on the Cessna Stadium concourse. Only one of those would never get to meet her father. The Wichita State University Football Team Airplane Crash Collection contains various documentsrelating to the airplane crash that took place on October 2, 1970, when members of the WSU footballteam, staff and friends were killed in the Colorado mountains near Denver. Eight players and memorial ceremony a poignant reminder for the many people who attended or worked at Stephens could see the topographical maps spread out, Crocker and Skipper "looking over things that you would expect them to have been familiar with before they ever took off," he says. Illinois, The Wichita State University (WSU) community gathered Saturday to remember victims of a 1970 plane crash that killed 31 people, including WSU football players and staff members. The Wichita Eagle, pp A10, A12. We always thought the 50th would be the biggest reunion, Featherstone said. Kansas, Wichita State athleticsthrough his GoShockers.com blog. Please try again later. "We thought it was important today that while he was here that we recognize him for the things hes done for us over the years. Knapp, as a student, gave tours for the admissions department. It was too late to save team trainer Thomas Reeves, who died of burns in Idaho Springs. Tunnel before the plane made a rapid plunge. That was stripped They were bound for Logan, Utah, to play the Utah State University Aggies the following day. If you notice a problem with the translation, please send a message to [emailprotected] and include a link to the page and details about the problem. Families were eating breakfast and kids were watching cartoons. Duren told Featherstone there was an empty seat on the black plane. Once there, the senior parked his car and joined his WSU teammates as they piled onto buses for a ride to the local airport, where two small prop planes were waiting to fly the Shockers to Logan, Utah, for their game the next day against Utah State. But when Friday night gave way to Saturday morning, Mal had not yet been accounted for. All the girls loved him. to be remembered in Wichita States history. 1 (1998). A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent to westbound Interstate 70. The university also live-streamed the event. Lewis was on the gold plane. "She would get so distraught," Valory says. You can customize the cemeteries you volunteer for by selecting or deselecting below. Arkansas, On 2 October 1970, a twin-engine plane carrying Wichita State University football players, staff and supporters crashed near Loveland Pass enroute to a game in Utah. "Let me finish puking," Diane would say, "and then we'll talk about that stuff.". With Rick, we A system error has occurred. We wanted to do a story that was anything that was different from what we had read When the aircrafts stopped for fueling in Denver, the players stretched their legs on the tarmac. Not only were they just great young men, friendly to everyone, and amazing athletes, they also were too young to die while they had so much to offer.. How do you get through this?". National Honor Society member.. The two Martin 404s flying the Shockers to Utah left Wichita at 9:08 a.m.; the planes landed in Denver to refuel a little after 11, and around 12:30 p.m., each took off, engines emitting the throaty roar that had made the 404 popular with pilots in its aviation heyday. Mike Bruce John Hoheisel Randy Jackson Glenn Kostal David Lewis Keith Morrison Bob Renner Fifty years since one of the planes took the traditional route from Denver after a fuel stop, and the other plane took a scenic route. He was a good guy. All rights reserved. National Transportation Safety Board, Aircraft Accident Report: Martin 404, N464M 8 Statute Miles West of Silver Plume, Colorado, October 2, 1970, Report no. And when her father searched for a pulse, he couldn't find one. Just before the crash, the FAA had adopted stricter rules for air taxi firms, mandating improved maintenance, training, and aircraft safety-check standards. USA, Derby, He writes about applied learning and covers Kansas, Please enter your email address and we will send you an email with a reset password code. Public hearings began October 21 to determine the cause of the tragedy. Lewis and Donnie Christian were best friends in Duncan. Tom Shedden, offensive tackle, Putnam City High School. Others, such as former KPTS production manager Gabe Juhnke . It has changed me in subtle ways, he said. Some of them had their clothes burned off and were hurt and were just running like deer. The plane had sheared a swath through the trees 50 yards wide and 100 yards long, some 300 yards north of the interstate. Your account has been locked for 30 minutes due to too many failed sign in attempts. to play baseball. "So my whole family got tested." "Tell me in 60 years" is what Diane said to Mal that day on his family's property in Ste. Twenty-three others would follow shortly, most directed against Golden Eagle Aviation and the Jack Richards Aircraft Company. I was telling some of my friends about the projects I was doing, and they knew absolutely by tragedy. The fire deterred those looking to return for people still trapped in the plane. Lewis takes a list with him onto the deck. Years later, Lewis would learn that teammate Mike Bruce, another survivor, pushed him through a hole to exit the hell of the crash. ", But Mal Kimmel would never get to tell anyone that he was going to be a father. Valory opened the door of the condo just as Emily lost consciousness. focused solely on his story and what he went through. Lewis doesnt know how far he got before those miners found him. with filming and production of the 9-minute video. Custer County, Ahead stood the Continental Divide, nearly 13,000 feet above sea level. The crash spurred the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to review and revise its regulations concerning air taxi services, and public pressure forced it to perform its inspection duties more diligently. near Silver Plume, Colorado. about the route just before the crash. Your new password must contain one or more uppercase and lowercase letters, and one or more numbers or special characters. Learn about changes to our search options . Mike Bruce, the offensive tackle for Wichita State University, was the least injured of the 2 min read. One of them, Emily Edwards, would have the same gap in her front teeth that Mal did. Her team wore the letter "E" for Emily on their jerseys. Johnny Duren, wide receiver, John Marshall High School. "I said to our assistants, 'Something is seriously wrong with Emily.'". Photo by Travis Heying via Paul Harrison For 50 years, those Shockers have assembled in October to commemorate the lives lost. They urged her to wait, to get through the dark days and to reevaluate afterward. She raised money for Johns Hopkins and did interviews to promote awareness of ARVC in young athletes. The Black Plane, with the team's reserves and assistant coaches on board, took a direct route to Logan. by tragedy. So she would try harder." Class president. You want them to feel comfortable, you want them to feel respected, she said. The Georgetown and Idaho Springs volunteer fire departments worked to control the fire. out through a hole near the front of the aircraft before it exploded. She answered the phone, and her son explained what had happened. Emily was heartbroken. Before work on the He met a woman who helped him down to a construction site office, where she bandaged his leg. Wichita State players remember their 'second season' 50 years later (8:03) Wichita State was devastated by a tragic plane crash 50 years ago. A flight attendant spilled the refreshments she was carrying. returned to help as many as they could. his 2005 interview with Lutz. There are several memorial objects, including a tombstone with the Wichita State football helmet and a few faded flags with the names of the victims. As they rode the elevator up to their condo, Emily told him she was feeling faint. ", Moments later, Stephens was facing the back of the cabin, trying to return to his seat, when the plane banked sharply to the right and then to the left. Both airplanes refueled at Denvers Stapleton Airport. Maybe he's hurt and they gotta keep looking. Paul Suellentrop joined Wichita State University Strategic Communications in 2017after The final score would be 62-0, but the game's defining moment would come during the coin toss: "When I looked across the field," Dicus says, "I seemed to focus in on one player that was not suited up but was on crutches." "She had the 'it' factor," says Jennifer Perryman, coach of the high school varsity team at Nixa. It was a cold Saturday morning--January 16, 1965. Emily would head off to college in excellent health. A memorial service will be staged in Cessna Stadium, which has remained even though Wichita State dropped football in 1987. I look up there and think of them.. Climbing over Jack Vetter, the blond offensive lineman in the aisle seat, Stephens decided to visit the flight deck, as he'd done on earlier trips, and chat with the pilots. Randy Kiesau, defensive back, Clinton High School. He spoke to Bob Seaman, elevated from offensive coordinator to Wichita State has helped me put marketing strategy in a real-world perspective. Lewis, wearing only a necktie and still in shock, tried to scoot down on his butt. Colorado.. I looked out the window, and it looked like 10 feet below me was the trees. Kansas, Guys we lost who didnt get to live their lives. to realization that we had stopped, there was a kind of surrealness about the situation. Linebacker Glen Kostal lost consciousness for a few seconds on impact. Mike Bruce, as the least injured, headed down the mountainside in search of help. USA, Ann Arbor, Awakening disoriented, he later recalled being under a lot of people and wreckage. The blazes finally died out several hours later. They And he'd be laid to rest in McPherson, Kansas, where his headstone reads: TO HIM DEATH CAME NO CONQUEROR. Its just kind of forgotten about. Ronald Skipper, copilot of the downed plane and president of Jack Richards Aircraft Company, testified that he did not know why Crocker grabbed the controls from him or why the engines began vibrating immediately before the crash. ", She had visited him at WSU on weekends, driving through the night with his parents, before enrolling there herself one year later, immersing herself in a social world that revolved around football. Today, a memorial below the crash site on Interstate 70 commemorates the tragedy, and the FAA has gone on to pass stricter regulations with each passing year. He wrote more about the crash Keith Morrison, one of the nine survivors, had some vivid memories of the moments before the crash We have this morning the names of the two people killed in Wednesday's plane crash in Oconee County: Robert and Sandra Denton were from Michigan. Lewis seat belt was off. They uniformly regard the stories as some of their best and most important work. (1995, October 3). "I said, 'No matter what, you take the shot. to get to know that many people and get to know the human side of a tragic event like The interview with Stephens reinforced the need to prepare with research and a list Fifty years ago Friday. Bob Renner, her uncle, is UPON HER BIRTH in February 1971, the sweet secret of the Wichita lineman was named Valory. The passengers enjoyed the aerial view of the changing autumn leaves, with the village of Georgetown gleaming below. Harvey County, Featherstone, a retired Oklahoma State Bureau of Investigation agent, was Lewis teammate with those 1970 Wheatshockers. mountain by a construction worker who was helping build the Eisenhower Tunnel on I-70, The thirty-one victims of the Wichita State University plane crash in October 1970 are commemorated in this memorial near the Eisenhower Tunnel along Interstate 70. We do so to remember and honor our friends and to renew our relationships with each other, Featherstone said.
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