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Investigators combing wreckage in fatal plane crash

Posted December 21, 2007 10:00 pm

Jayette Bolinski and John Reynolds

One day after three local men died in a plane crash west of Springfield, the twisted wreckage of the single-engine aircraft was loaded onto a flatbed trailer and transported to Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport for forensic analysis.

"We recovered the major structural components," said Andrew Todd Fox, air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board.

The Beechcraft V35B Bonanza went down just before 3:30 p.m. Thursday in a field near Old Route 54 and Farmingdale Road outside of Curran. The plane was on its final approach to Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport, and according to witnesses, began moving erratically - one called it "doing loops" - before plunging nose-first into the ground.

Fox said investigators will be talking to the witnesses to try to determine what caused the crash. At a press conference at the crash scene Friday, Fox declined to speculate.

A preliminary report is expected by the end of next week, but it could be a year before an official cause is determined, he said.

Fox did say that it did not appear the pilot, Ray L. Wright of Rochester, was attempting to make an emergency landing in the field.

"The aircraft was highly fragmented, meaning it was in multiple pieces, torn and broken open. It's apparent the aircraft was not making a normal or emergency landing in the field. This is consistent with a high-speed impact," Fox said.

The impact was so severe, in fact, that the nose of the plane was buried in the field, which was extremely muddy due to recent rain.

Sangamon County sheriff's Capt. Jack Campbell said the Illinois Army National Guard was contacted to help remove the wreckage.

"We made a request through IEMA (Illinois Emergency Management Agency) to be able to use a military vehicle because we don't really think there are any farmers that are going to have the equipment to get that plane out of the field. It is partially buried. They told us they have a vehicle that could do it," he said.

Guardsmen from Camp Lincoln assisting in the removal brought with them a 5-ton wrecker and an eight-wheel-drive vehicle that is normally used to recover disabled tanks.

Both Campbell and Fox thanked the Guard for their help.

"(The Guard) came out and volunteered their services to help us get the plane out of a very muddy and hard field to work in," Fox said.

Besides Wright, 71, who also owned the four-seat plane, killed in the crash were the Revs. John Crabtree, 57, and Rick Hohimer, 55, both of Springfield.

Autopsies Friday indicated all three died instantly of massive traumatic injuries, according to Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone. An inquest will take place at a later date.

All three had ties to Calvary Temple Christian Center, 1730 W. Jefferson St.

Wright, a retiree and longtime private pilot, formerly owned Builders Sand & Gravel and was president of the board for Contact Ministries. A member of the Calvary congregation, he was an avid golfer and sportsman. He is survived by his wife, Bonnie, a son and a daughter.

Visitation for Wright will be from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday in the Calvary Temple sanctuary. His funeral is set for Monday.

Crabtree, also married with two grown children, had been involved with the church on and off for the past 20 years. Recently, he ventured out on his own with a company called New Creation Ministry that helps churches build and organize.

Hohimer was pastor of Mount Olive Baptist Church in rural Chandlerville for the past year, after having been associated for years with Calvary. He was married with two daughters, one of whom is a teacher at Calvary Academy.

Funeral arrangements for Crabtree and Hohimer have not yet been released.

The three men flew to Cincinnati Thursday morning and were on their way back to Springfield by way of Champaign when the plane came down about 200 to 300 yards off Old Route 54 west of Springfield. Fox said it would not be unusual for a pilot to be flying there while on a final, instrument approach to Capital Airport.

The Rev. Mark Johnson, senior pastor of Calvary Temple, said Friday he believes the group was returning from a luncheon meeting in Cincinnati.

"John (Crabtree) had a very good friend there with his consulting business," he said. "It is my understanding he was meeting with him for a luncheon."

Various agencies will be looking into the crash, and those independent investigations fall under the umbrella of an overall investigation of the National Transportation and Safety Board. In general, the NTSB probe will analyze the plane, the performance of the pilot, the engine, the plane's mechanical systems, air traffic control, weather and survival factors.

The Federal Aviation Administration also investigates crashes and submits its findings to the NTSB. The FAA generally looks at unsafe conditions and trends and coordinates corrective action.

The FAA has no upper age limit to be a private pilot, but pilots are required to undergo regular medical exams as a part of their pilots' license, said FAA spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory.

Ray Wright last had a medical exam in June. His medical clearance expires in June 2009.

Wright had a third-class medical certificate, one given to people who are private, recreational or student pilots.

According to the FAA Web site: "There is no age restriction or aviation experience requirements for medical certification. Any applicant who qualifies medically may be issued a Medical Certificate, FAA Form 8500-9 (white), regardless of age."

The frequency with which the aircraft has to be inspected depends on the type and how often and what it is used for, said Pam Sullivan, air safety investigator for the NTSB.

Sullivan said records are not available for release for Wright's Beechcraft V35B Bonanza because the crash is under investigation.

Staff writers Pete Sherman, Sarah Antonacci and Chris Wetterich contributed to this report. Jayette Bolinski can be reached at (217) 788-1530 or jayette.bolinski@sj-r.com. John Reynolds can be reached at (217) 788-1524 or john.reynolds@sj-r.com.

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