By John Feely, rawlins.com
Published: Tuesday, September 13, 2011 2:06 AM MDT
Four Oregon residents who were on the Cessna T210 aircraft that crashed in Saratoga on Labor Day are recovering from their injuries.
Pilot Ronney Bowker was released from the Medical Center of the Rockies in Loveland, Colo., and passenger Mary Ann Thenell was moved to a nearby physical rehabilitation center in the Northern Colorado area. Laraine Bowker and Jerry Thenell remain in the hospital but have been upgraded to stable and serious condition, respectively, the nursing supervisor said.
“Both my grandpa and grandma are doing very well,” said Lea Anne Mellor, in a telephone interview Monday from the family’s dry cleaning business in Eugene, Ore. “My grandpa has been released and my grandma is improving wonderfully.”
Mellor is the granddaughter of Ronney and Laraine Bowker.
“My grandpa is not coming home until everyone is coming home,” Mellor said. “I expect my grandma to make a full recovery. My mom, Kathleen Sturza, talks to her everyday.”
Joshua Cawthra, an investigator with the National Transportation Board, released his preliminary report on the airplane crash Thursday. Bowker told Cawthra the wind blew the aircraft left of the centerline as he attempted to land.
The preliminary report stated the wind was blowing 14 mph with gusts of 25 mph at the time of the crash.
“The pilot said he decided to abort the landing and to initiate a go-around,” Cawthra wrote. “As the airplane approached the end of the runway, the engine suffered a complete loss of power.
“The pilot said he initiated a forced landing in an open area on the airport property. During the landing roll, the airplane struck an airport perimeter fence and impacted a road embankment.”
The aircraft went through the perimeter fence west of Shively Field and struck the edge of County Road 385, which is built higher than the surrounding area. The impact forced the airplane to nose over and slide down the embankment on the other side of the road. The plane came to a rest on its roof.
Jerry Thenell’s injuries were the most serious from the crash, and he was airlifted to a hospital in Casper. The pilot and two other passengers were taken by ambulance to Memorial Hospital of Carbon County. All four were transferred to the Medical Center of the Rockies.
Nancy Whiddon is the bookkeeper for Insta-Print in Eugene, which is owned by Jerry and Mary Ann Thenell.
“I have talked to Mary Ann, and they are both getting better,” Whiddon said. “Jerry is indeed improving, and we are anticipating he will be able to return home.”
Cawthra wrote in the preliminary report the aircraft suffered significant damage to the left wing and left side of the fuselage.
The Bowkers and Thenells reportedly attended the University of Oregon vs. Louisiana State University college football game in Arlington, Texas on Sept. 3. They first flew to Wichita, Kansas for refueling and then sent in a flight plan to refuel at Shively Field in Saratoga. The aircraft reportedly left Wichita at 10:45 a.m., Mountain Standard Time, and crashed at 2:20 p.m.
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14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Monday, September 05, 2011 in Saratoga, WY
Aircraft: CESSNA T210M, registration: N761NZ
Injuries: 4 Serious.
On September 5, 2011, about 1420 mountain daylight time, a Cessna T210M, N761NZ, sustained substantial damage when it impacted terrain following a loss of engine power during an aborted landing at the Shively Field Airport (SAA), Saratoga, Wyoming. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot under the provisions of Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The private pilot and his three passengers sustained serious injuries. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and an instrument flight rules flight plan was filed for the personal flight. The cross-country flight originated from Wichita, Kansas, approximately 1145 central daylight time, with an intended destination of SAA.
The pilot reported that as he approached runway 23, the wind began to blow the airplane left of the runway centerline. The pilot said that he decided to abort the landing and initiate a go-around due to the wind. As the airplane approached the departure end of the runway, the engine suffered a complete loss of power. The pilot initiated a forced landing straight ahead of his position to an open area on the airport property. During the landing roll, the airplane struck an airport parameter fence and impacted a road embankment. Subsequently, the airplane nosed over.
Examination of the airplane by local law enforcement revealed that the airplane came to rest inverted about 800 feet beyond runway 23. The left wing and fuselage exhibited structural damage. The wreckage was recovered to a secure location for further examination.
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