Jesse Ostheimer and Braden Hicks Plane Crash Indianapolis: Victims identified in Friday morning crash near Anderson Municipal Airport-Darlington Field
The victims of a tragic private plane crash in Anderson, Indiana, on Friday morning have been identified. The plane, which had departed from Fort Dodge Regional Airport, was involved in the fatal accident near Anderson Municipal Airport-Darlington Field, northeast of Indianapolis.
Madison County Coroner Adam Matson has named the four victims as follows: Braden Hicks, 36, of Manson; Jesse H. Ostheimer, 31, of Alden; James “Owen” Renaud, 19, of Iowa Falls; and Joseph R. Scallon, 68, of Iowa Falls.
Hicks, who worked as a private pilot instructor, was a well-regarded member of the Fort Dodge Regional Airport community. Rhonda Chambers, director of aviation at the airport, noted that while Hicks was not a city employee, he was dearly loved and will be greatly missed.
The single-engine Piper PA-46 took off from Fort Dodge at approximately 6:48 AM and crashed around 9:52 AM Eastern time. The crash occurred in a cornfield near Anderson Municipal Airport. The aircraft, owned by Okoboji Air LLC, was not typically based at Fort Dodge Regional Airport on Fridays.
Also Read: Peter McGuigan New Jersey Death & Obituary: Beloved Community Figure Passes Away Suddenly
Rescue teams found the aircraft on fire upon their arrival around 10:00 AM. According to Captain Darwin Dwiggins of the Madison County Sheriff’s Department, the pilot had been instructed to descend and make another approach to the airport but was reported to have “flipped over” and nose-dived into the cornfield. Witnesses indicated that the plane was attempting to return to the airport when it crashed.
The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) are investigating the accident.