The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Indianapolis, Indiana
Location: Mount Vernon, IN
Accident Number: CEN21LA008
Date & Time: October 6, 2020, 08:20 Local
Registration: N2942A
Aircraft: STEPHENS WILLIAM E Quicksilver
Injuries: 2 Fatal
Flight Conducted Under:
On October 6, 2020, about 0820 central daylight time, an experimental light sport Quicksilver airplane, expired registration N2942A, sustained substantial damage when it was involved in an accident near Mount Vernon, Indiana. The student pilot and private pilot were fatally injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal
flight.
A witness stated that she observed the accident airplane flying around in the area. She observed the airplane come out of a loop then spiraled toward the ground. She did not see the airplane impact the ground, but she heard a sound similar to the impact. She observed the airplane from her residence which was 0.33 nautical miles (nm) east of the accident site and about 1 nm northeast east of the airport.
The airplane impacted a harvested crop field on a heading of southwest and came to rest on its right side. The airplane was about 100 ft from the initial ground impact marks and airplane debris was scattered in between. The engine remained attached to its mount and one propeller blade had separated from the propeller hub.
The wreckage has been retained for further examination.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: STEPHENS WILLIAM E
Registration: N2942A
Model/Series: Quicksilver
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: Yes
Operator:
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KEHR,387 ft msl
Observation Time: 08:56 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 8 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 12°C /8°C
Lowest Cloud Condition:
Wind Speed/Gusts,
Direction: 5 knots / , 220°
Lowest Ceiling:
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.14 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point: Mount Vernon, IN
Destination: Mount Vernon, IN
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 2 Fatal
Aircraft Damage: Substantial
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries: N/A
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 2 Fatal
Latitude, Longitude: 37.920396,-87.7663 (est)
Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov.
POSEY COUNTY, Indiana (WFIE) - Posey County Sheriff Tom Latham says they are investigating a double fatality ultralight crash.
It happened Tuesday morning in an area near Meinschein Road and Davis Road.
The Sheriff says two men were killed in the crash. The Posey County Coroner identifies the victims as 75-year-old William Rohland, of Garden Grove, California, and 57-year-old Michael Schlichtman, of Steamboat Springs, Colorado.
The coroner says an autopsy will be done Wednesday at 9 a.m.
The Sheriff’s Office is working with the FAA and NTSB in this investigation.
“And we’re going to have to rely upon those services from the FAA and the NTSB in efforts of determining that," said Sheriff Latham. "With their investigation, they’ll hopefully be able to a cause of what the purpose of the crash was.”
The Sheriff says so far, all they know is the men flew from an airfield south of where the crash happened. Deputies say both men were still belted in their seats.
Sheriff Latham says sheriff deputies will be out securing the scene until the investigation is complete.
William “Bill” Edward Rohland
October 11, 1944 - October 6, 2020
William “Bill” Edward Rohland, 75, died Tuesday morning, October 6, 2020, in a plane crash near Evansville, Indiana. The last several years Bill had been living and working in retirement at Posey Patch airfield near Mount Vernon, Indiana during the summer months and residing with his wife and son at their home in Garden Grove, California through the winter.
Bill was born October 11, 1944, in Withee, Wisconsin, to Julius and Gertrude Rohland. He attended Owen-Withee schools and graduated in 1956. He enlisted in the United States Air Force and continued serving in the Air National Guard after his retirement from the Air Force and maintained many close friendships from his military service days. He lived in St. Louis, Missouri and Collinsville, Illinois before moving to California.
Bill was devoted to flying. In retirement he learned to fly ultralight planes and made life-long friends in that world. He worked closely with Tri State Kites at the Posey Patch airfield in Mount Vernon, Indiana and at Sullivan Airfield near St. Louis, Missouri, promoting flying, participating in flying clubs and instructing student pilots. He made committed friendships there and wherever he spent time.
He is survived by his wife, Ngoc Vu Rohland and son, Julian; his brother, Curtis Rohland (LaMae), Chippewa Falls, Wisconsin; sister Deborah Gengenbach, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; brothers-in-law Hung Vu (Phuong Vo), St. Louis, Missouri; Ta’n Vu (Trang Nguyen), Atlanta, Georgia; Tan Vu (Thuc Le) Smithfield, Rhode Island; nephews John Rohland (Lan), Eau Claire, and Albert Rohland, La Crosse, Wisconsin; niece Larissa (Florian) Skwierczynski, Lake Hallie, Wisconsin; nephew Gus Gengenbach (Cassidy) Bremerton, Washington; niece Julia, Madison, Wisconsin; niece Beth (Charles Hinkle) Leasburg, North Carolina; niece Amy (Neil) Hodorovsky, Eau Claire, Wisconsin; six grand nieces, two great grand nieces, four great grand nephews; and numerous cousins.
He was preceded in death by his grandparents, John and Caroline Rohland, Edward and Amelia Petke, parents Julius and Gertrude Rohland, his older sister, Nancy (Bill) Schley, and numerous aunts and uncles and several cousins.
A memorial service will be held at 2:00 p.m. Saturday, October 24 at Riverside Cemetery. The cemetery is one mile west of Withee, Wisconsin on state highway 29.
The family regrets that a meal together cannot be enjoyed at this time due to the restrictions imposed by the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.
A nonprofit organization has not yet been chosen as recipient for any gifts of money given in Bill’s honor.
Mike Schlichtman
STEAMBOAT SPRINGS — A Steamboat Springs man was among two killed in an aircraft crash Tuesday morning in southwest Indiana, according to authorities.
The Posey County, Indiana coroner’s office identified Mike Schlichtman, 57, of Steamboat as one of the two men who died when their ultralight aircraft crashed southwest of Evansville, Indiana, near the Kentucky and Illinois borders. The aircraft’s other occupant was identified as William Rohland, 75, of Garden Grove, California.
It was reported that the aircraft crashed around 8:23 a.m. CST, south of the airfield from where it took off.
Schlichtman had traveled to Indiana to look at and test out small planes for a possible purchase, according to his family.
Schlichtman was a licensed pilot and an avid cyclist. He was active in the community and fully engaged in his passion for the outdoors. He was a ski instructor at Steamboat Resort, served as a Rotarian with Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs and was a volunteer member of Routt County Search and Rescue.
“He was just a tremendous guy. He was a great friend and a great team member,” said Jay Bowman, president of Search and Rescue. “He was someone who we will all dearly miss.”
Schlichtman went out with the team on its most recent rescue mission Oct. 1. They tended to an injured bicyclist along the Flash of Gold trail on Buffalo Pass.
The rescued man sent Bowman an email on Tuesday expressing his gratitude.
“That person has reached out to the team and said, ‘What a tremendous and awesome group of people who dropped everything to help him,’” Bowman said. “And Mike was one of those people.”
Bowman described Schlichtman as somebody who the team was looking forward to having around for a long time. Schlichtman, who had been a team member for several years, was seen as somebody who would have risen up the ranks.
“His enthusiasm, his knowledge and calm approach to everything will certainly be missed,” Bowman said.
Schlichtman’s wife of 35 years, Lisa Schlichtman, is editor of the Steamboat Pilot & Today. Together they have two adult sons, Ryan and Nick. He is originally from Cassville, Missouri, where he owned and continued to operate several car washes after moving to Steamboat with his family in 2013.
“He would bring light to every situation,” said Gillian Morris, president of the Rotary Club of Steamboat Springs. “He was so interesting; always doing fun stuff.”
An exact cause of death has yet to be determined, according to authorities. The two men were still inside the aircraft when first responders arrived to the scene.
Investigators with the Posey County Sheriff’s Office said they have been working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board to establish the cause of the crash.
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