robertwhite

Five dead in Bloomington plane crash
Police: At least one IU student might be among the victims
By Gavin Lesnick and Elisha Sauers | Indiana Daily Student | Friday, April 21, 2006

VAN BUREN -- A small airplane carrying five passengers crashed just south of Monroe County Airport early Friday morning, killing all on board. At least one victim and possibly all of them were IU students.

IU spokesman Larry MacIntyre said the University has not confirmed whether the victims were students or not, but that it appeared all five of them were.

"We think we know who was in the plane and we think we know where they went and what they were doing," MacIntyre said. "But we can't say that for certain until the coroner has positively identified the body and the person."

Watts said family members of one of the victims had been notified Friday morning, but his team was withholding the names of the passengers until all of the families had been informed. Watts said the plane was not an IU-owned aircraft but that his team had "heard there may be IU students on board."

Several people who identified themselves as being affiliated with the IU School of Music showed up at the Van Buren fire station, the command center for the crash investigation, in the early morning. IU School of Music Dean Gwyn Richards was unavailable for comment Friday morning because he had traveled to the airport, a representative from the music school said. MacIntyre said the victims appeared to be music students.

According to emergency officials, the 6-seater plane was traveling from Lafayette to Bloomington late last night when it disappeared from the radar at about 11:40 p.m. That coincided with several calls to the Monroe County 911 dispatcher of a plane in distress near Monroe County Airport. Although the plane had activated the landing lights at the airport, it never made it to the runway.

But Watts said the wreckage was located when an emergency transponder pulse emitted by the plane was spotted by the Civil Air Patrol's equipment when it flew over the crash site in a plane.

Instead, rescue workers - who were hampered by wet and foggy conditions - searched throughout the night, discovering the plane in a heavily wooded area on farmgrounds south of one of the runways at about 4:15 a.m.

Watts confirmed at a Friday morning press briefing that all five people on board - a female pilot and four male passengers - perished in the crash.

According to emergency radio reports, the plane was a 1978 Cessna U206G, a fixed-wing single-engine plane with 6 seats.

Eight fire departments, three law enforcement agencies and the Civil Air Patrol responded to the incident, said Van Buren Deputy Fire Chief Mike Cornman.

Helicopters were not immediately able to move into the area, which experienced heavy fog and some rain throughout the night.

Watts said the Indiana State police have cordoned off the crash site and will turn the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board. Neither of those agencies had arrived on the scene as of Friday morning.

http://www.idsnews.com/news/story.ph...5550&adid=news

robertwhite

Does anyone have any other details about this?

Alex Yates

Oh my, this is so sad. No Robert, I haven't heard anything further. There are many IU people around. Hopefully they will chime in when they know something......if it is appropriate.

tpter1

What a tragedy for all involved. Peace be with them.

__________________
-Glenn
"Roses have thorns; shining waters mud. Clouds and eclipses stain the moon and the sun; and history reeks of the wrongs we have done. After today, after today, consider me gone."- Sting

MJ

I have heard it was 4-5 vocal majors and a conductor.

Manny Laureano

What a nightmare for the families and friends they leave behind.

Terribly sad.

ML

Eclipsehornplayer

This indeed sad no matter who it happens to.

May they rest in peace and may God comfort those that they left behind.

__________________
Eclipse MHY Bb Trumpet with interchangable leadpipes
Bach 229 25A C Trumpet
Getzen Capri Bb Cornet
GR & Monette mouthpieces

gregc

God bless them all.......

__________________
______________
Greg Condemi

PH

One woman and four men were returning from a rehearsal in Lafayette, Indiana (where Purdue University is located). They were all vocal or choral conducting majors. According to the local newspaper, there is a Choral Concert of Monteverdi's Vespro della Beata Vergine scheduled for 8 p.m. Saturday at the Long Center for the Performing Arts in Lafayette. I assume they were returning from rehearsing for that event.

The names were just officially released at a press conference. All were killed on impact. Please pray for these students, their families, and their friends. Our entire school is feeling a profound loss.

Garth Epply (MM Voice), born 7 February 1981. B.A., Anderson University, Anderson, IN., 2003. Garth studied with Tim Noble.
-----------------------------------------------------------

Zachary Novak (MM Choral Conducting), born 17 September 1980. B.A., Anderson University, 2004. He began the MM program in fall 2004. Zachary studied with Brian Horne.
--------------------------------------------------------------------

Robert Samels (DM Choral Conducting), born 2 June 1981. BM Bowling Green State University, 2002; MM (Voice) Indiana University, 2004. He began the DM program in fall 2004. Robert studied with Costanza Cuccaro.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------

Chris Carducci (MM Voice 2005). BM Bowling Green State University, 2002. MM (Voice), Indiana University, 2005. Chris was a student of Tim Noble.
--------------------------------------------------------------

Giorgina Joshi (MM Voice), born 21 October 1981. B. Mus, Royal College of Music, London, 2003. She began MM in fall 2003. Giorgina was a student of Alan Bennett.

robertwhite