Three killed Thursday in Arbor Vitae airplane crash

9/12/2008 6:02:00 PM Email this article • Print this article

A member of the Federal Aviation Administration phones in information collected from the crash site where a single engine plane came down in a field just south of the Lakeland Airport. Three individuals inside the plane could not be officially identified and the Vilas County Sheriff’s Department had not released names of the deceased as of Friday evening. Doug Etten photo

Three killed Thursday in Arbor Vitae airplane crash
Aircraft goes down in field near Lakeland Airport in apparent failed landing
Doug Etten
Sports Reporter


A single engine aircraft plunged into a field near the corner of South Farming Road and Cagle in the town of Arbor Vitae early Thursday evening, killing all three occupants.

According to preliminary reports, the aircraft that was carrying two Milwaukee area residents, Curtiss Stern and John Schlagenhaft, and one Batavia, Ill., resident, Kenton Morris, departed from Milwaukee's General Mitchell International Airport at 5:46 p.m. enroute to Lakeland Airport.

The plane was a Cirrus model SR22 owned by Chicago-based BlueSky Taxi, a charter plane service provider.

The plane was scheduled to land at Lakeland Airport at 7:29 p.m. Thursday evening, but a call to the Vilas County Sheriff's Department at 7:13 p.m. indicated the plane had crashed in a field southwest of the airport on property owned by Ed Richardson.

According to Mitch Gallo of the National Transportation Safety Board, (NTSB), the plane had been cleared to land through the regional air center in Minneapolis, Minn., prior to the crash. When the center lost contact with the pilot of the aircraft, Gallo was notified.

Gallo, who was on-site Friday, revealed some specifics of what was found when he took a preliminary analysis of the scene.

"I cannot comment on the dynamics of the crash, but I can say that all the wreckage was found in one location. There is no wreckage trail and there is no ground scarring preceding the aircraft," Gallo said.

Crews were unable to conduct any in-depth investigations at the crash scene Thursday night due to the fact they were unsure if a rocket propelled parachute system, which some Cirrus models are equipped with, had been ignited or not.

Gallo could not indicate Friday whether the pilot had attempted to deploy the parachute prior to the crash.

The Cirrus aircraft is a visual flight rules type, which typically lands without the aid of instruments. Due to the low ceiling and rainy conditions, the plane had been cleared to land using instrument flight rules instead.

A statement was released Friday on behalf of the aircraft owner by attorneys Robert A. McKenzie and Kerry M. Lavelle of Lavelle Law, Ltd. in Palatine, Ill. The owner of the aircraft, BlueSky Taxi, Incorporated of Lincolnshire, Ill., is represented by the aviation practice at Lavelle Law, Ltd. for its corporate and business matters.

"While the Cirrus SR22 was owned by BlueSky Taxi, Incorporated, it was believed to have been operated by Midwest Air Transport when it crashed," the release said. "The Cirrus SR22 is a single engine piston aircraft that accommodates four people and offers a cruising speed of just over 210 miles per hour. The 26-foot long plane is highly regarded for its safety features including a ballistic parachute that is standard on the model."

Members of Vilas County law enforcement, emergency management, Oneida County EMS and Arbor Vitae Fire and Rescue were still working to remove the deceased passengers from the aircraft early Friday morning.

Director of the Fixed Base Operations (FBO) at the Lakeland Airport, Russ Hills, said Friday morning that the airport terminal was closed at the time of the crash, and there was no communication between the person in control of the aircraft and the airport before the accident occurred.

Friday afternoon crews worked to clear debris while investigators continued gathering evidence from what instruments and controls they were able to get to.

Gallo said that crews will continue to gather evidence from a variety of sources before a release of cause, which could take up to more than a year before the final of three reports is released detailing the outcome of the investigation.

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