Wednesday, April 08, 2009

Rest in Peace

The victim of this crash is a man (well, a boy back then) I had a crush on my entire childhood.  We didn’t know each other well, but our moms are dear friends.  He and his brothers and my sisters and I had a few playdates over the years. 

Pittsville -A state Department of Natural Resources plane being used to help spot grass fires crashed Wednesday, killing one person, a Federal Aviation Administration spokeswoman said.

It was not immediately known whether other people were onboard, spokeswoman Elizabeth Isham Cory said.

But Kelly Zenz, manager of the Wood County Dispatch Center, said he thought the pilot was the only person in the aircraft.

The crash occurred about 2:30 p.m. in a field about six miles southwest of Marshfield, Zenz said. The plane was being used to help observe a wildfire as firefighters worked on the ground.

Many, many prayers to his lovely family and his work family. 


UPDATE:  From Governor Doyle:

“Heath Van Handel was a courageous, experienced pilot who was working to protect our citizens and their properties from a fire today.

“We owe Heath tremendous gratitude for his extraordinary service and dedication. The First Lady and I are praying for him, his wife Jennifer, their children and all the others who love him.”

(1) Comments
Posted by Wendy at 1911 hrs
Off-Duty

  1. My condolences as well.  He served in an area I used to live in.  He died being a hero.

    Posted by .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address) on April 09, 2009 at 0303 hrs


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