11-Time National Soaring Champion Lost In TX Crash

He died as he lived, as they say... but that oft-repeated sentiment is of little comfort to those who knew Dick Johnson, an 11-time national soaring champion who also claimed one world title to his credit. Johnson, 85, was killed Wednesday on what was to be a routine flight near Midloathian, TX.

WFAA-8 reports Johnson took flight around 12:00 pm local time, to check the weather conditions over the North Texas community. Witnesses saw his Schemmp-Hirth Ventus A dip below a treeline soon after release; they found the wreckage a short time later, two miles south of the field in a quarry.

The cause of the accident is still unknown. Weather conditions at the time of the crash seemed ideal for an afternoon of gliding -- 89 degrees F, with light winds and 4,000 foot scattered clouds.

"He learned to fly before WWII; and he had been flying since he was a young boy," said Jeff Baird, with the Texas Soaring Association in Midlothian. 'He loved his family, and he loved soaring and he flew every chance he could get."

The gliding community as a whole will miss Johnson's experience... but particularly, younger pilots at the Texas Soaring Association will miss his encouragement, and his lessons.

"He probably couldn't imagine a better way to go if he had to go," said friend Dick Mockler. "To go in his sailplane was probably the best."

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 47JD        Make/Model: VENT      Description: VENTUS BT/CM/CT/2CM/2CT GLIDER
  Date: 07/23/2008     Time: 1740

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

LOCATION
  City: MIDLOTHIAN   State: TX   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  AIRCRAFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
  FATALLY INJURED, 10 MILES FROM MIDLOTHIAN, TX

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

WEATHER: JWY 231725Z AUTO 09005KT 10SM SCT040 32/20 A2999

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Pleasure      Phase: Unknown      Operation: OTHER

  FAA FSDO: DALLAS, TX  (SW05)                    Entry date: 07/24/2008

FMI: www.texassoaring.org