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