Tuesday, May 11, 1999
Reasons unclear in skydiver deaths
BY JANICE MORSE
The Cincinnati Enquirer
MONTEZUMA, Ohio — Six deaths and many unanswered questions.
That's the problem confronting investigators in this farm town near Celina — 133 miles north of Cincinnati — after a pilot and five seasoned skydivers from Ohio and Indiana were killed Sunday when their single-engine Cessna crashed into a soybean field minutes after taking off from Lakefield Airport.
All of the passengers were skydivers and members of Grand Lake Skydiving, a 10-year-old operation with about 35 members.
The 36-year-old plane, which had a new engine installed in July, had made four skydiving runs Sunday without incident.
But witnesses told investigators that on its fifth flight, the plane's engine seemed to sputter right after takeoff. It failed when the plane was 700 to 1,000 feet in the air and about 2 miles east of the airport, Ohio State Highway Patrol Trooper John Westerfield said Monday.
The plane began to spiral as it nose-dived, witnesses said.
Three of the victims were found outside the wreckage, indicating they had jumped from the aircraft, officials said. Only one parachute, however, was partially deployed.
Authorities identified the pilot as Preston E. Parrish II, 30, of Tipp City, Ohio. Other victims were identified as Michelle Koorsen, 43, and Aaron Schroeder, 30, both of Fort Wayne, Ind.; Keith A. Edwards, 40, of Marion, Ind.; Jack Haenichen, 31, of Ottawa, Ohio; and John Hoover, 43, of Huntington, Ind.
“The tragedy is overwhelming when you think that every person who got on that plane perished,” said Capt. Mike King, commander of an 11-county Ohio State Highway Patrol district.
The Mother's Day tragedy saddened many in this farming village of about 300 in Mercer County, 25 miles southwest of Lima, near the Indiana border.
“We'll say our prayers for the people and we'll move on,” said skydiver Joe Hirn of Blanchester. “I understand that they died doing something that they loved to do.”
Mr. Hirn is one of several Greater Cincinnati residents who are skydivers at Skydive Greene County, a jump center in Xenia, Ohio.
“There are notices all around that you can be killed doing this,” said Jim West, who owns Skydive Greene County. “It's something that can happen and everyone is fully aware of that.” But in time, the fear of jumping can be overcome.
“I was afraid for at least my first 10 jumps,” said Mr. Hirn, who has made almost 100 leaps in 10 months. “It all goes away. You get accustomed to anything.”
Interest in the sport has grown steadily in the past decade. The United States Parachute Association in Alexandria, Va., has 34,000 members, nearly double the number from 10 years ago, said Dany Brooks, the association's director of communications.
But Sunday's crash may have spoiled skydiving for some enthusiasts with decades of experience.
“Believe it or not, I was supposed to be on” the plane when it crashed, said the plane's owner, Bob Tangeman of Celina.
He had flown on the plane earlier in the day, but on the plane's fifth trip, Mr. Tangeman relinquished his spot to Mr. Hoover at the last minute.
Now, after logging 3,697 jumps in 37 years, Mr. Tangeman said, “I may not go up anymore.”
Mr. Tangeman said each of the skydivers was well-qualified, the least experienced of whom had probably jumped 250 times. One was an instructor and three were “jump masters,” who helped students jump for the first time.
Brian Rayner, an air safety investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, said the Cessna was configured for skydiving. He said the aircraft had one seat for the pilot and five places for jumpers.
Federal records show the only other mishap involving the Cessna was in 1987 in Clark County near Springfield, Ohio. The pilot, during his final approach on a night landing, apparently clipped tree limbs. Records show there was no substantial damage to the craft.
The Wapakoneta post of the Ohio State Highway Patrol, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are working together on the investigation.
Mr. Rayner, an NTSB air safety investigator, said he divides each investigation into three main components: the man, the machine and the environment.
He said a preliminary report about the crash could be ready within a week, but it could take months for the final version to be complete.
Investigators were expected to finish their work at the crash site late Monday and move the wreckage to another location for further analyses.
Omer Klosterman, 77, said the plane crash in his field, which he planted last week with soybeans, was the worst tragedy he can remember as a lifelong resident of Montezuma.
He said he and his family had just finished enjoying their Mother's Day celebration when he heard something unusual.
“I heard kind of a "thud,' but I didn't think anything of it,” he said.
Mr. Klosterman said a neighbor drove into his driveway minutes later and sounded his horn, alerting him to the crash. Together, they drove on a tractor toward the wreckage, and saw the blue metal crumpled like a piece of discarded aluminum foil.
“It was bad,” he said, shaking his head. “You could tell from the way that plane was messed up, nobody was going to walk away from it.”
David Eck contributed to this report.
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