IA Student Pilot Attempted To Land Doomed 79 Piper In Friday Quadruple-Fatal Guthrie Plane Crash

GUTHRIE CENTER, IA. (THECOUNT) — The sheriff’s office identified those killed small plane crashed in central Iowa Friday as 49-year-old Edward Ralph Anderson, 36-year-old Patrick Kellen and 15-year-old Samantha Clark, all of Le Mars, and 28-year-old Tyler Douvia, of Merrill, which is near Le Mars in northwestern Iowa, authorities said Saturday.

The four-person small plane crashed in central Iowa while enroute to Osceola, killing all people aboard, after the pilot apparently suffered a heart attack. A student pilot in the plane reportedly attempted an emergency landing when the aircraft went down.

The 1979 Piper single-engine reportedly made a “very hard” crash landing and all of the victims were killed at the scene, the sheriff’s office said.

The plane dropped off radar Friday night about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from Guthrie Center airport, the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. Searchers found the wreckage Saturday morning in a cow pasture southwest of Guthrie Center, which is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southwest of Le Mars, where the plane had taken off. source

Sources say the four were going on a hunting trip.

Their bodies were taken to the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office for autopsy. The FAA will investigate the cause of the crash.

Friends and family members took to Facebook to remember the victims:

‎Danelle Noreen‎ commented to the Class of 2001-Ten year Reunion Facebook group of the passing of “Pat” Kellen:

I’m writing this with a heavy heart, I know I asked for prayers last night and many of you responded and I thank you!

Unfortunately Pat Kellen, our classmate and my cousin passed away sometime through the night. He was in a 4 person plane in which the pilot had a heart attack and Pat attempted to take over to make an emergency landing. Pat was a student pilot, but unfortunately was not able to land the plane and it crashed south of Guthrie center. His step daughter Sami, Tyler Douvia his cousin, and Ed Anderson the pilot did not survive the crash. The distress call went in at 6:06 yesterday evening and after that call no one was able to get ahold of them. The search went until 3:30 am and reconvened at 6:30. I got a message at 7:04 that they found the plane without any survivors.

So I’m asking again, I have some money left in the class account, but would appreciate if anyone could donate money to replenish the account again.

The class account is at American Bank in LeMars under Danelle Noreen, marked class of 2001
Or
My paypal account is sport_volleyball@hotmail.com

I hope all is well with everyone!

The crash remains under investigation.

Le Mars is a city in and the county seat of Plymouth County, Iowa, United States. It is located on the Floyd River and is northeast of Sioux City. The population was 9,826 at the 2010 census, according to Wikipedia.