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3 church members die in plane crash west of Springfield

Posted December 20, 2007 10:00 pm

John Reynolds and Sarah Antonacci

A retired Rochester businessman and two ministers, all with ties to Calvary Temple Christian Center, were killed when the small plane they were in crashed in a field west of Springfield Thursday afternoon.

Ray L. Wright, the former owner of a sand and gravel business and a member of the Contact Ministries board of directors, owned and was flying the single-engine, four-seat Beechcraft V35B Bonanza, according to authorities.

His passengers were the Revs. John Crabtree and Rick Hohimer, both of Springfield.

"These men are greatly loved by our church, greatly respected. It's going to be a real time of mourning. We love these guys, and we are really going to miss them," said Calvary's senior pastor, the Rev. Mark Johnson.

Terry Hill, a board member and elder at Mount Olive Baptist Church in Chandlerville, where Hohimer had taken over about a year ago, said Hohimer grew up in the Mount Olive church and was a "perfect" pastor.

"He was great," Hill said. "He was one of the best teaching pastors that any church could ever have… He was never angry, and always happy."

Crabtree, who headed a fledgling endeavor called New Creation Ministry that helped churches build and organize, had been involved with Calvary Temple for the better part of two decades.

And the 71-year-old Wright was described by Rita Monkmann-Tarr, a former director of Contact Ministries, as a "great guy" with a "heart of gold." Contact Ministries provides assistance to low-income families, as well as a shelter for homeless, abandoned or abused women and children. Wright also helped coordinate the annual Friend-In-Deed golf outing.

According to newspaper archives, he was a longtime private pilot.

The three flew to Cincinnati, Ohio, Thursday morning, apparently to meet with another minister. They were en route back to Springfield by way of Champaign when the crash was reported near Curran, about 3 miles west of the capital city, just before 3:30 p.m.

Conditions were foggy at the time, but there was no indication that the weather played any role in the crash.

It also was unclear whether Wright was trying to land at Abraham Lincoln Capital Airport or a small landing strip near the crash site at Farmingdale Road and Old Route 54.

"The FAA is still gathering information about the event, including the destination point, the scheduled arrival point and any further information," said Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Tony Molinaro. "These investigations typically take several weeks to months or more before they are completed."

Sangamon County Sheriff Neil Williamson said witnesses reported seeing the plane do loops and then "heard a thud." A short time later, the wreckage was spotted in the field.

He said there was no indication that the pilot sent a distress call.

It appeared the plane smashed nose-first into the field. The body of the aircraft was badly twisted, and it was difficult to read the identification numbers on its tail.

"The nose cone and propeller are completely buried in the dirt," Williamson said.

The crash did not cause a fire, and it appeared the impact killed the men instantly, the sheriff said. Two of the men sat in front and one was in back.

A call to Sangamon County Coroner Susan Boone was not returned Thursday night.

Air-traffic controllers reported losing track of the aircraft before witnesses saw it crash about 200 to 300 yards off Old Route 54.

The local chapter of the American Red Cross responded to the site to assist the approximately 30 firefighters and other authorities on the scene.

Williamson said he expected that authorities would be at the site most of the night. Old Route 54 was closed temporarily after the crash.

Johnson said the congregation at Calvary, 1730 W. Jefferson St., will do the best it can to make sure that the families of the three men get the support they need.

"These were men of great faith," Johnson said.

Online editor Jason Piscia contributed to this report. John Reynolds can be reached at (217) 788-1524 or john.reynolds@sj-r.com. Sarah Antonacci can be reached at (217) 788-1529 or sarah.antonacci@sj-r.com.

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