ANDERSON, INDIANA – A Friday morning airplane flight out of Fort Dodge ended up crashing in Indiana, and at least two North Iowans apparently perished in the tragedy.
A single-engine Piper PA-46 crashed near Anderson Municipal Airport-Darlington Field in Indiana around 10 a.m. local time on Friday, September 6, 2024. Four people were on board, but those persons’ identities were not immediately announced. None survived. The FAA and NTSB will investigate. The NTSB is in charge of the investigation and will provide further updates.
According to obituaries released by Surls Funeral Home, however, at least two North Iowans died in this crash:
– Owen Renaud, age 19, of Alden, Iowa
– Jesse Ostheimer, age 41, of Alden, Iowa
According to the Fort Dodge Regional Airport, they announced that they are “aware of the tragic plane crash that occurred this morning in Anderson, Indiana. We can confirm that the aircraft involved in this incident was not based at our airport. However, the flight plan indicates that the aircraft took off from Fort Dodge Regional Airport at 6:48 AM this morning, en route to Anderson, Indiana. Our thoughts are with those onboard and their families during this difficult time. We are fully cooperating with authorities as they investigate the circumstances surrounding this incident.”
According to news reports, the plan failed a first attempt at landing at Anderson Municipal Airport-Darlington Field in Indiana and during a second attempt, the plane nosedived into a corn field and burst into flames.
No further details were immediately available.
Later, according to the Madison County, Indiana, Coroner’s Office:
At 09:50 AM on September 6, 2024 the first 911 call came into County Dispatch of a plane down in the area of 4200 block East 100 South, approximately two miles south/east of the Anderson Airport in the cornfield. Units were dispatched, and on arrival found a single engine airplane down and on fire. Additional resources were dispatched, and the fire was quickly extinguished.
The Federal Authorities. FAA, NTSB, Madison County Coroner and additional needed resources were immediately notified and quickly responded to the incident.
It was quickly acquired that the plane had departed Fort Dodge, Iowa, enroute to the Anderson Airport, and currently for an undetermined reason lost altitude and crashed.
The Madison County Coroner, Adorn Matson along with members of his team with mutual aid assistance from the Hamilton County Coroner’s Office and Delaware County Coroner’s Office identified the four victims as:
– Joseph R. Scallon, age 68, of Iowa Falls, Iowa
– “Owen” James Renaud, age 19, of Alden, Iowa
– Jesse H. Ostheimer, age 41, of Alden, Iowa
– Braden W. Hicks. age 36, of Monson, Iowa
The crash is still under investigation.