One Child Dead, Five Hospitalized

ANN REALTIME UPDATE 01.16.06 1500 EST: Reports from the scene state the aircraft involved in Saturday's accident that claimed the life of an young boy in Pierre, SD was a Piper Cherokee, although the aircraft's registration has not been released by investigators.

Colt Gunderson was among a group of children who were taking a ride around the pattern at Pierre Regional Airport (PIR) onboard the Cherokee (file photo of type, below) as part of a birthday party when the plane went down seconds after takeoff, impacting in a ravine at the south end of the runway. Gunderson, 11, died in the accident, while the four other children and pilot Clint Peitz were seriously injured.

Details of the accident are still sketchy, with several factors not yet reported. NTSB investigators were to continue their work at the scene Monday, according to the Aberdeen American News, and a Preliminary Report is expected shortly.

The tragedy has affected the entire city of 14,000, according to Pierre police chief Al Aden.

"It was a tragic situation and a tragic site. A difficult site," said Aden to Pierre's KELO-TV. "The plane was wedged into a ravine, it remained six to eight feet off the grounds. It took a number of emergency personnel, EMT's firefighters, and law enforcement to move the injured out of the plane and get them to the hospital."

"[The children] not only went to school together, but were friends and ran around together," added the police chief.

The accident flight was the second trip of the day for the airplane. The child whose birthday was being celebrated was on the first flight, according to media reports.

Three of the four children injured in the accident -- 13 year old Miranda Deyo, 11 year old Jordin Dungey, and 8 year old Teya Gunderson -- as well pilot Peitz, were transported to a Sioux Falls hospital due to the severity of their injuries. As of Monday, they were still listed in critical condition.

The youngest child, 6 year old Brianna Gunderson, was released Sunday from St. Mary's Healthcare Center in Pierre.

FMI: www.faa.gov, www.ntsb.gov