They will meet again Friday on the Wichita State campus, more than 30 strong, along with dozens of friends and family of victims and survivors. The players helped each other stumble away from the wreckage, then collapsed some twenty feet away. Fourteen of those killed were starters on the WSU football team, and the horror was front-page news across the nation. Fifty years later, looking back on her days working in the psychology office, Diane Buatte would say, "That job probably saved my life.". at Wichita State in October, no matter where you are. He went to Evansville, Indiana, several times with Wichita The two Martin 404s flying the Shockers to Utah left Wichita at 9:08 a.m.; the planes landed in Denver to refuel a little after 11, and around 12:30 p.m., each took off, engines emitting the throaty roar that had made the 404 popular with pilots in its aviation heyday. USA, Oklahoma City, The profound sadness we feel as a community The Wichita Eagle, pp. USA, Henry, Mike Kennedy remembers when the paper bearing the Associated Press bulletin came over I wish it had been a cathartic process for those guys, but I always felt their pain. working for 17 years at The Wichita Eagle. some of the first people in Wichita to know about it. Mike (Bruce) and Dave Lewis and Johnny (Taylor) were already there, and Mike started "Sometimes we would tell him what we did that day," Diane remembers. through their work. Hearing the full story and feeling The FAA immediately imposed a $50,000 fine on the Jack Richards Aircraft Company, the planes manufacturer, and rescinded the inspection certificate of the mechanic who had deemed the plane airworthy. Tom Shedden, offensive tackle, Putnam City High School. The university on Friday unveiledtwo additions to the structure: one that lists the eight players who survived the crash, the other with the names of the 35 passengers on the second flight that landed safely. He was a sophomore at Derby High School in 1970 and knew former Derby football star As they rode the elevator up to their condo, Emily told him she was feeling faint. Lets just try it, Lewis said. needed to be appreciated and shared. USA, Wichita, We have set your language to We dropped that quickly. his way of sharing his testimony about the people he cared so much about. Her team wore the letter "E" for Emily on their jerseys. down the hill to get help. They uniformly regard the stories as some of their best and most important work. Because Wichita State ended its football program in 1986. Ronald Skipper, copilot of the downed plane and president of Jack Richards Aircraft Company, testified that he did not know why Crocker grabbed the controls from him or why the engines began vibrating immediately before the crash. 27 cemeteries found in will be saved to your photo volunteer list. He had waited for her to reach the top of the stairs. "Let me finish puking," Diane would say, "and then we'll talk about that stuff.". It kind of made me feel like I was part of the family Once Crocker flew into the dead-end canyon, there was insufficient distance or engine power to clear the Continental Divide, which measured 12,705 feet at Mt. was eerily quiet.". Being part of a The inspection revealed sixteen distinct mechanical failures, including oil leaks in both engines, hydraulic fluid leaks, and an arcing battery cable. Survivor reflects on Wichita State football plane crash - KAKE Ronald Skipper were the only two survivors in the front of the plane. And I understood, it was the same in You cannot fly into those places without thinking They were bound for Logan, Utah, to play the Utah State University Aggies the following day. From her mother's brief marriage to Rick Stephens -- they were the only two people who knew what the other had gone through -- Valory would get a younger sister, Tori. I honor their memory every day, Lewis said. His work, which The Wichita State University Football Team Airplane Crash Collection contains various documentsrelating to the airplane crash that took place on October 2, 1970, when members of the WSU footballteam, staff and friends were killed in the Colorado mountains near Denver. see if it was possible to find out which plane it was.. Under a pine tree searchers found a body hurled from the plane, later identified to be Crocker, the twenty-seven-year-old pilot. The Wichita Eagle, pp A10, A12. "We had a fast break, and she was behind, like at half court," Perryman remembers. Illinois, It was spring 1967, the era of the Vietnam War and the draft, and there weren't a lot of kids from Ste. The Black Plane, with the team's reserves and assistant coaches on board, took a direct route to Logan. On Saturday, Nov. 14, 1970, a plane carrying members of the Marshall University Thundering Herd football team and coaching staff crashed in West Virginia killing all 75 people on board and. 27 cemeteries found within kilometers of your location will be saved to your photo volunteer list. It has changed me in subtle ways, he said. The thirty-one victims of the Wichita State University plane crash in October 1970 are commemorated in this memorial near the Eisenhower Tunnel along Interstate 70. Upon closer inspection, the breadth of the carnage will become apparent. I stayed where I was, Featherstone said. We ranked college football's top 37 spring transfers: Who tops the list? The initial news coverage focused on the aftermath Federal Aviation Administration bit further. The Shockers traveled in two planes. Eight players and the co-pilot survived. And then she waved goodbye. She raised money for Johns Hopkins and did interviews to promote awareness of ARVC in young athletes. Mal wasn't sure he wanted to go to college until he made all-conference his senior year. Wichita State athleticsthrough his GoShockers.com blog. Lewis takes a list with him onto the deck. and I wanted to bring that to my piece, Beckman said. USA, Ann Arbor, He still would McPherson County, A reception will be held on the stadium concourse, then later in the day are planned screenings of short documentaries filmed about the crash. Wichita State athleticsthrough his GoShockers.com blog,The Roundhouse. Genevieve, written him letters and walked to the post office to pick up his return letters, because she couldn't bear to wait for them to be delivered. few weeks later. Gabe Juhnke and Stacey Jenkins, Black & Gold: Remembering the WSU Plane Crash, KPTS, aired October 2, 2009. We Cowboys Miss On Kicker; Sign Gould? Jerry Reveals Plan financial reasons and low attendance. And he'd slip up every now and then," she recalls, "and say something very touching. The great memories and friendships you develop with your teammates. Mike Bruce, as the least injured, headed down the mountainside in search of help. The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the crash, which happened . USA, Clinton, was thrown forward with the impact of the crash. "I said, 'No matter what, you take the shot. Illinois, I think theres a real misconception that thats the day we lost football. Could have been on Rusty Featherstones list. reviewed Wichita State Plane Wreck. And when her father searched for a pulse, he couldn't find one. Bethel. "There was not a dry eye in the gym," Diane says. "I look up there and think of them." Lewis could have been on the list. Genevieve wearing a long dress and a sash as a queen candidate, sitting in the back of a convertible to acknowledge her adoring public. Mal Kimmel wouldn't see any of that. It was her father who had to tell her: Emily's basketball career was over. He remembers slowly waking up, feeling cool air and seeing a pine forest. For cases after 2008, use CAROL Query. Its hard Photo by Travis Heying via Paul Harrison Rick has told this story, Im sure, hundreds of times and thats He took groups by Cessna "I guess it is comforting if he really was asleep, but ". He can be heard Monday through Friday from 4:40-5:20 p.m. on The Sports Animal radio network, including FM-98.1. LOVELAND, Colo. It's been 50 years since a plane crashed near Loveland Pass claiming 31 lives of the 40 Wichita State University (WSU) football team . They are still greatly missed to this day, Featherstone said. He met a woman who helped him down to a construction site office, where she bandaged his leg. She wasn't done. Each year, she would see her mother's mood darken as Oct. 2 drew near. included a trip to the crash site, helped him understand the crash and its aftermath. "Hes been a part of our family," said John Yeros, a former Wichita State player who was on the plane that landed safely. "I went into the cockpit area," Stephens says. The Pieces That Remain: Remembering the Wichita State Plane Crash, Randy Kiesau and his parents memories of their son, to interview the family of crash victim Mal Kimmel. Stadium and remembers answering questions about football. Randy Kiesau, defensive back, Clinton High School. Marshall resumed football after a crash that The FAA impounded the other Martin 404 that had successfully landed in Utah for a safety inspection. He was thrown onto a pile of mangled mess. Maybe he's hurt and they gotta keep looking. Then suddenly at 9:34 a.m., terror rained from the sky. One of those first nights after her diagnosis, Emily was afraid that if she went to sleep, she would never wake up. And she did exactly what she needed to do." He writes about applied learning and covers A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent to westbound Interstate 70, at Dry Gulch at milepost 217 ( 39.6965N 105.8736W ), about two miles (3 km) east of the Eisenhower Tunnel. Marty: What a trip up to the crash site is like 50 years later But in this part of the country, those of us alive at the time well remember the somber news from Oct. 2, 1970. A roadside memorial plaque listing the names of the victims is located near the Colorado crash site, adjacent to westbound Interstate 70. IT'S BEEN CALLED college football's forgotten tragedy. the stories of the families of the victims, the survivors and their struggles, and For me, it goes even a little She started the reporting for a class project and later expanded her work Once there, the senior parked his car and joined his WSU teammates as they piled onto buses for a ride to the local airport, where two small prop planes were waiting to fly the Shockers to Logan, Utah, for their game the next day against Utah State. down when we started hitting the trees. Her buzzer-beater off the glass drove the crowd into a frenzy. Remembering the 1970 Wichita State football plane crash Lewis mother turned hysterical, crying and yelling. arms, he thinks he was burned aboard the plane upon impact and that he probably crawled Featherstones family eventually moved into the country, and he spent his final two seasons of high school at Edmond Memorial. hearings, funerals, lawsuits and the teams game against Arkansas in Little Rock a Perryman had first spotted Emily's skills when she was in fifth grade; by ninth grade, Emily was the varsity starting point guard and Perryman was calling a last-second play for the 14-year-old to win the game against Branson. Her skin was mottled; she began to turn blue. Translation on Find a Grave is an ongoing project. 2023 www.oklahoman.com. All of these people were changed forever, but we have stayed very close all these years.. seen flickers of smoke and fire. Lewis lives in Overland Park, Kansas, about six miles south of Interstate 70. I could talk for hours about my memories, Featherstone said. head coach at 38 after the crash, for a rare look into the memories of Seaman and his family. Aviation Accident Database & Synopses. I felt really, really honored to share their story, said Abigail Beckman, a former Wichita State football is gone. The project workers were the first on the scene, discovering the remains of the Wichita State football team's plane, which had crashed into the mountain and melded into the dirt. Those universities also endured fatal athletic plane crashes. so many other (stories) as a way to remember it and let these people know that it away. In 2016, Lewis wrote an essay for The Eagle titled This tragedy did not define me.. Each year on Oct. 2 at 9 a.m., a wreath is placed at this memorial. The Associated Press. Oklahoma, Bob Renner, her uncle, is You need a Find a Grave account to continue. What No. With the Continental Divide up ahead, the camps' metal equipment was so visible that Stephens began to wonder. the aftermath of the tragedies at Wichita State and Marshall (also in 1970). clip off the tops of trees. Many of the 1970 Shockers have traveled to the crash site over the years, making the difficult climb to shed tears, leave mementos, offer prayers. On 2 October 1970, a twin-engine plane carrying Wichita State University football players, staff and supporters crashed near Loveland Pass enroute to a game in Utah. Valory would pray to her father every night. "Black and Gold Remembering the WSU Plane Crash", the tragedies at Wichita State and Marshall. By Paul Suellentrop, Strategic Communications. and supporters who died in a plane crash Oct. 2, 1970. We do so to remember and honor our friends and to renew our relationships with each other, Featherstone said. Sedgwick County, I saw him in her, and so did her family." Paul Suellentrop joined Wichita State University Strategic Communications in 2017after Teammates such as John Yeros, Ed Plopa and John Potts took lead roles in speaking USA, Derby, Dickinson County, 'You've got to go on': Children of Wichita State crash victims share a And Featherstone specifically wants Oklahomans to remember four of the 31: Four Oklahomans among the 31 aboard an airplane that entered a Colorado canyon and never came out. "Families were stunned by the loss of sons, daughters, brothers and sisters," WSU Alumni Association CEO Courtney Marshall said at the ceremony. At 1:14 pm, highway workers saw the plane dip and strike the side of Mt. A flight attendant spilled the refreshments she was carrying. Resend Activation Email, Please check the I'm not a robot checkbox, If you want to be a Photo Volunteer you must enter a ZIP Code or select your location on the map. All 75 people aboard died. seats and wreckage and three of his best friends were pinned near him. I think it helped that I was It got dark. Running back Randy Jackson would tell Stephens that in the maelstrom, he had spotted Jack Vetter, the blond offensive lineman whom Stephens had climbed over to get to the flight deck: "Randy said he tried to pull him out," Stephens recalls. The audience will be seated on the west side of the stadium. Paul Suellentrop joined Wichita State University Strategic Communications in 2017after and all we could think As he boarded the Gold Plane for the first time with the rest of the starting 22, Mal had a secret: His wife, Diane, was pregnant with the couple's first child. from me when I step on a plane. He felt humbled by the work and the expressions of pain and sadness he Danny Crocker just 15 minutes before takeoff, Skipper had topographical maps he'd purchased moments earlier at a shop in Stapleton Airport so that he could point out landmarks of interest along the way. Diane and Valory returned to Wichita State in 1990, 20 years after the crash, for a commemoration on campus. Tunnel before the plane made a rapid plunge. At first, recalls Valory, "she was like, 'Maybe I'm just not in shape like I thought I was.' But there was a group of people who didn't agree: those in the psychology department. Survivors of the crash were players Mike Bruce, John Hoheisel, Randy Jackson, Glenn Kostal, Dave Lewis, Keith Morrison, Bob Renner, Rick Stephens and co-pilot Ronald Skipper. It was melancholy, but also uplifting The WSU tragedy prompted a thorough government investigation of FAA regulations for charter flights. ON THE MORNING of Oct. 2, 1970, 21-year-old Malory W. Kimmel drove away from Wichita State University's Jardine Hall, heading for the Field House nearby. Robert and Sandra Denton, both residents of Williamsburg, Mich., Clare, Mich., and The Villages, Fla., were flying in their single . Survivors, friends and family will convene at the Wichita Country Club to console and reminisce about the lives lost. To get plenty of manpower to Utah, WSU chartered two planes and crews from Oklahoma City-based Golden Eagle Aviation Company, with each plane holding some forty people. Almost every day, Dave Lewis walks out onto his back deck, gingerly, because his left leg remains a medical textbook, after six surgeries and four total knee replacements. Lewis seat belt was off. During those years and beyond, Mal Kimmel's death would reverberate through the lives of three generations of extraordinary women, their fates linked to his by ties they couldn't always see. help him down. It was it was really touching.". to, but you also have to be very respectful of what hes feeling.. Wichita State had begun the year 0-3 and was scheduled to resume play against Arkansas, ranked ninth in the country and still in the race for the national championship. The Wichita Eagle, pp A10, A12. Mal. Wichita State Crash Survivor Relives Details - The Oklahoman Crash site an important memorial for 'Gold Plane' family - Clear Creek Courant Triumph and tragedy: Scotties grad Barkell starred at Wichita State, recalls plane crash - Herald-Standard Ron Johnson, 21, Kansas City, Mo., Senior S The crash spurred the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA) to review and revise its regulations concerning air taxi services, and public pressure forced it to perform its inspection duties more diligently. She'd come through another long procedure at Johns Hopkins in time for an emotional senior night, when Emily would be on the court again. One plane crashed near Silver Plume, Colorado. Consequently, lawsuits were filed against WSU and its intercollegiate athletics association. Community, families, former teammates honor lives lost 50 years ago in Mal Kimmel had the ARVC gene; he died the day before he was going to play what might have been his first full game of football in two years.
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