Alaska Food Drop Turns Tragic For Pilot

What had been a much-anticipated spring hike for a church youth group in the Alaskan wilderness turned into a nightmare Tuesday. As a Piper PA-12 Super Cruiser (file photo of type, below) was dropping bags of fried chicken for the kids, the aircraft suddenly nosed down and crashed.

The pilot -- 30-year old Michael Lawler, an Air Force sergeant -- was killed. His passenger, 21-year old Matthew Medlock, was seriously hurt.

The accident happened near Devil's Pass on the Kenai Peninsula.

St. Patrick's Catholic Church pastor Reverend Scott Medlock was on the ground when the accident occurred... and he watched as the PA-12 -- with his son onboard -- impacted the ground.

The Alaska Daily News reports the elder Medlock had to balance his role as the shepherd of a flock of children... with aiding and comforting his son, while at the same time coping with the sudden death of a parishoner.

"He was just unbelievably strong," said chaperone John Tappel, an Anchorage pediatrician who helped stabilize Medlock.

As others aided the victims of the accident, three of the teens on that hike went up a ridge to try and establish a cell phone signal, but with no luck. Others heated water bottles to help keep Medlock's injured son warm, and arranged mirrors to form the letters SOS.

"Everyone was helping out," Tappel said.

But it was one of the adult chaperones who ran ten miles to a road... finally flagging down a vehicle and going for help. Rescue aircraft arrived about four hours after the crash.

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 7658H        Make/Model: PA12      Description: PA-12 Super Cruiser
  Date: 06/27/2006     Time: 0000

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: HOPE   State: AK   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THERE WERE TWO PERSONS ON BOARD,
  ONE WAS FATALLY INJURED, ONE SUSTAINED UNKNOWN INJURIES, 9 MILE SOUTH OF
  HOPE, AK

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   2     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   1
                 # Pass:   0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:         Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED

OTHER DATA

  Departed: LAKE HOOD, ANCHORAGE        Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: LAKE HOOD, ANC, AK       Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: Y
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: ANCHORAGE, AK  (AL03)                 Entry date: 06/28/2006

FMI: www.faa.gov