11.30.2013

A Heavy Heart

Last night we were watching a movie, eating pizza with our friend Leah when she got a text message about a plane crash near St. Mary's.  St. Mary's isn't technically part of our district any more (they are their own district) but we play each other in games and it's very close to Pitkas Point, which was part of our district up until last year (when they got too small to sustain a school).

The plane was headed from Bethel to Mountain Village (our district headquarters) which is just past St. Mary's.  It had nine passengers and one pilot on board.  Somehow things went wrong, and just four miles from St. Mary's runway the plane went down.

KTUU News Link
The pilot, a couple, and a newborn baby boy (also named Wyatt) all perished in the crash.  There were six survivors, all of whom are in fair condition except one.  The survivors were medivac'd out and a full investigation was started this morning.

Our hometown news in Washington even had a blurb on the accident.  It is devastating any time a plane crashes, but this was especially horrific because of the fact that it happened in our school district, and Terry was a pilot many people knew.

Our hearts are broken for the families and their loss.  
It is a sad, sad day in rural Alaska.

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3 comments:

Krystal said...

How sad :( I saw this story on google news down here in Texas, it was one of the main stories it showed me. I thought of you, and checked your blog!

Kasey said...

How sad.

Lenny B. said...

That's so unfortunate to hear, but I'm glad that the crash didn't claim more lives than it did. I'm sure it rattles the core when you actually know someone from the community that perished, especially with it being from such a small community it already was. My thoughts and prayers go out to those directly affected as well as to you and your family, that you guys are coping well with a tragedy so close to home.