Gary Landgrebe dead at scene, instructor in critical condition

The mayor of the city of Racine (MN) was killed on Friday after the Robsinon R22 helicopter he was piloting as a student crashed in a field as it was to land. Gary Landgrebe, 47, was in the aircraft along with instructor Joseph Fishburn, 59. Landgrebe was declared dead on the scene; Fishburn was taken to St. Mary's Hospital in critical condition.

The NTSB has begun investigating the accident, and the town now mourns the loss of a mayor who bad been in office since the mid-1990's and who was very popular among his constituents. According to news reports from local TV station KAAL as well as the Rochester Post Bulletin. Bret Walters, one of Landgrebe's many friends, didn't take long to describe him: "Just an all around very nice, genuinely kind fellow." It was Landgrebe who helped Walters build his convenience store. "It basically became his goal to make sure that Racine was a town that was gonna thrive and become a better town for itself."

Sadly, this was not the first tragedy to strike Landgrebe's family. In 1996 his son Grant was killed in an automobile accident north of Racine. The road had claimed many other lives before, and Landgrebe and his spouse worked tirelessly for the next three years to make the road safer. They achieved their goal in 1999. The Minnessota Department of Transportation installed rumble strips on the center lane, to alert drivers if they drift across the middle of the road. Since then, no more deaths have taken place on that stretch of asphalt.

Arrangements for Landgrebe's funeral are still pending.

FMI: http://www.city-data.com/city/Racine-Minnesota.html