UPDATED: Local father and son survived plane crash that killed three others

Joshua Beckerle, a 15-year-old West County teenager who survived a single-engine plane crash that killed other passengers June 26 at a private airstrip in Lakeview, Ark., remained in critical but stable condition as of West Newsmagazine press time.

The teenager’s father, Don Beckerle, a Eureka alderman, also was in the plane crash but was treated for minor injuries and released from the Baxter Regional Medical Center in Mountain Home, Ark.
Killed in the crash were the pilot, Warren W. Langford, 52; his son, Brendan Langford, 15, of Chesterfield; and Jacob Ritz, 15, of Bridgeton.

The three teens had just finished their freshman year at Saint Louis University High (SLUH). The two fathers are SLUH alums. SLUH leaders organized a mass on June 26, which more than 550 people from the school’s community attended.

All five passengers had been on a trout fishing and camping trip in northern Arkansas that week, family members said. Lakeview is about 10 miles south of the Missouri state line.

Baxter County Sheriff John Montgomery said the plane crashed at about 9:10 a.m. after taking off from the turf runway at Gaston's White River Resort. Montgomery said two victims, the Langfords, died at the scene and the third, Ritz, died at a nearby hospital.

Joshua Beckerle was airlifted to St. John's Hospital in Springfield, Mo., where he remains.
A spokeswoman of the Beckerle family’s congregation at Most Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Eureka said that Joshua was “holding his own now.” Although he still was in critical condition, the medical staff and family were optimistic, she said. She said he was able to follow instructions from nurses when his medications for sedation were slightly decreased.

However, she indicated that Joshua may face surgery to reconstruct a broken eye socket. He also sustained a broken jaw and nose, she said.

Don Beckerle’s colleagues said it is “a waiting game” for Joshua.

The six-seated aircraft was a Piper Cherokee Lance, and was owned by Propaire, Inc., a small, non-profit flying club of St. Louis. The plane reportedly was 32 years old.

John Bales, director of aviation at Spirit of St. Louis Airport in Chesterfield, said 10 members of the Propaire club each pay a portion of costs to store and maintain the plane. The plane was used for both business and personal trips.

"This club has been around at least more than 15 years, and they’ve always had experienced pilots," Bales said. "We’re really saddened by this tragedy."

The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the crash. Investigators specifically are reviewing aircraft weight and atmospheric conditions at the time of the accident. According to plane specifications, the maximum load the plane could carry, including fuel, was 1,627 pounds. According to officials, the plane was “heavy but not overweight.”

Witnesses indicated the aircraft was wobbling and tilting from side to side as it tried to take off. They said the plane smashed through a fence at the end of the runway, briefly became airborne and then ended in a small grove of trees.

Bridget Serchak, a NTSB spokeswoman, said approximately 1,600 accidents of this sort occur each year in the United States, and that it could take up to a year to determine the true cause of the crash.
Since 1967, a total of 23 plane crashes occurred at Lakeview, according to the NTSB records. Fifteen people died in those crashes and several others were injured. NTSB investigators determined pilot error was the most likely cause of the accidents. Wind or unmarked power lines were found to be additional factors in several of the accidents.

Other pilots who have flown in and out of this same 3,200-feet-long-by-55-feet-wide airstrip have communicated that it can be a tricky landing strip, especially during hot and humid conditions. The most recently reported, plane-related accidents prior to the June 26 one at the Lakeview Airstrip were in January and April 2006.

Arnold Scott, senior NTSB air safety inspector and lead investigator handling this accident, said that a preliminary report would be submitted before July 10 (within five to 10 business days of the accident). He reported that no distress calls from the pilot were received, but that a video that a resort visitor captured is being analyzed for clues. He is expected to submit a more detailed, factual report within the next six months.

“We know what happened, but are looking into all of the reasons why it happened,” Scott said.

A funeral Mass for Jacob Ritz was celebrated June 30 at St. Francis Xavier (College) Church. A funeral Mass for Warren and Brendan Langford was celebrated July 2 at Ascension Catholic Church in Chesterfield, followed by burial in Holy Cross Cemetery.