Plane, Body Recovered After Lengthy Search

The pilot of a homebuilt aircraft that went down near Holdenville, OK, didn't have a medical certificate. So says the FAA in the case of Jack Nolen, a semi-retired physician from Muskogee.

As ANN reported Wednesday, the 73-year old Nolen was last seen January 14th at the airport in Paris, TX, flying his Kitfox Lite2 to Shawnee, OK. His disappearance sparked a massive search by the Oklahoma Wing of the CAP, along with state and local law officers.

The Kitfox (file photo of type, below) and remains presumed to be Nolen's were found Tuesday by a rancher. The wreckage was wrapped around a tree in a thick grove near Holdenville.

The remains were to be identified by a medical examiner on Thursday. Investigators said their work was being slowed by the tremendous damage done to the aircraft when it impacted that grove of trees.

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 222JN        Make/Model: EXP       Description: LITE SQUARED KIT FOX
  Date: 01/14/2005     Time:     

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: HOLDENVILLE                 State: OK   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT CRASHED UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD WAS
  FATALLY INJURED AND THE ACFT WAS DESTROYED; ACFT WAS THE SUBJECT OF AN
  ALERT NOTICE ISSUED 1/15 AND THE WRECKAGE WAS LOCATED 2/15, FOUR MILES
  NORTH OF HOLDENVILLE, OK

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:           Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: UNK                                                                        

OTHER DATA

  Departed: PARIS, TX                   Dep Date: 01/14/2005   Dep. Time: 1530
  Destination: SHAWNEE, OK              Flt Plan:              Wx Briefing: 
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: OKLAHOMA CITY, OK  (SW15)             Entry date: 02/15/2005 #

FMI: www.ntsb.gov