A small Illinois town is in mourning this weekend after a Piper
Saratoga (file photo of type, below) went down, carrying six of its
sons and daughters. For Carlock (IL), the deaths of the men and
women aboard that aircraft has hit especially hard.
The three couples were on their way home from Darlington (SC),
where they had attended a NASCAR race. The victims were identified
as Don Maurer Jr., 40, and his wife, Amy, 38, of Carlock; Amy's
brother, Brad Webb, 34, and his girlfriend, Erica Edgington, 27,
also of Carlock; and the pilot, Curt Piercy, 41, and his wife,
Linda, 42, of Normal. The aircraft impacted Little Black Mountain
near Highsplint in Harlan County (KY), about two hours after taking
off from Darlington.