Plane Impacted Power Lines During Volunteer Flight

A tragic 2004 plane accident during a charity fundraising event has taken yet another sad turn, as authorities plan to pursue homicide charges against the pilot who survived.

The Stevens Point (WI) Journal reports Mark Strub will soon face a single charge of negligent homicide stemming from the August 28, 2004 crash that killed passenger Kimberly Reed.

Reed, 39, was one of several passengers Strub gave 10-minute rides to in his Stearman PT-13 during the 2004 Children's Miracle Network Balloon Rally in Wisconsin Rapids. Strub had volunteered his time and plane for the event.

According to the NTSB Probable Cause report on the crash, Strub said he had given three people free rides prior to the accident flight. Reed has asked for an aerobatic flight, so with both persons wearing parachutes the plane departed, and climbed to 3,000 feet AGL.

After performing one Cuban eight, a loop, and two hammerhead stalls, Strub and Reed were heading back to the airport, at an altitude of about 50 feet over the Wisconsin river.

"Just as I was to initiate a climb I struck power lines crossing the river," Strub told investigators. "I noticed the power lines not more that 1/2 second before impact."

The Stearman's landing gear struck the powerlines, and the airplane landed inverted in Nepco Lake in about 3-4 feet of water. Officials believe Reed was killed on impact; Strub escaped with minor injuries.

In an interview with the Wisconsin Rapids Daily Tribune three days after the crash, Strub said he continued to relive the crash "every ten minutes."

"I didn't even know her name," Strub told the paper. "She came up to me, of course, trusting me with her life, and wanted the experience. That's why I was there. How did that turn tragic? I have no real answer."

Friends and fellow pilots quickly rallied to the 44-year-old pilot's defense.

"It's just such a tragedy what happened," said Mike Wiberg to the Daily Tribune. "The guy is donating his time, sharing flying experiences with people who have never flown before. When I first saw the airplane, I thought 'Oh, my god.'"

FMI: Read The Probable Cause Report