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Charred wreckage is all that remained Monday
of the World War II-vintage Stearman PT-17 that went down Sunday
(Aug. 17) in Canada community just off N.C. 281 near Wolf Creek
Baptist Church. Pilot Joe Vance, 59, of Jonesboro, Ga., was killed,
and passenger Randy Owens, 38, of Franklin remains in critical
condition at the University of Tennessee Burn Center. - Herald
photo by Nick Breedlove
By Lynn Hotaling
A restored World War II-vintage airplane went down Sunday afternoon
(Aug. 17) in Canada community, killing the pilot and leaving a
passenger in critical condition.
The Stearman PT-17 exploded shortly after impact Sunday, said
former Smoky Mountain High teacher and onetime Canada School Principal
Dwight Moses, who witnessed the accident.
Moses, who lives across the valley from the crash site, said he
was reading when he heard a loud engine roar.
When he first saw the aircraft it was flying at about 200 feet
and coming "up the valley" from the direction of Wolf
Creek Baptist Church, Moses said.
"It was a biplane rig, a beautiful plane," Moses said.
"It started sputtering - I think it was trying to land. It
looked like he tried to bank it back, but he hit a big poplar."
Moses said he saw smoke and then heard a loud explosion.
Moses called 911, and rescue workers were paged out at 2:55 p.m.,
said Canada Fire Chief Steve Luker.
First on the scene were Canada firefigher Ed Riley, who lives
near Moses, and Assistant Chief Corey Middleton, Luker said.
The plane hit in the top of a poplar tree, broke the top out and
then fell to the ground, Luker said. Firefighters put out the
fire, which was not a threat to the surrounding forest due to
heavy rains Saturday and Sunday, he said. The crash site is on
property belonging to the H.B. Woods heirs, according to the fire
chief.
Firefighters found passenger Randy Owens, 38, of Franklin, lying
about 30 feet from the plane. The pilot, Joe Vance, 59, of Jonesboro,
Ga., was killed.
Owens, press plant manager at the Mountain Press in Franklin,
the printing facility for The Sylva Herald, Cashiers Crossroads
Chronicle, The Franklin Press and other area newspapers, was airlifted
to the University of Tennessee Burn Center in Knoxville.
Jackson County emergency personnel, including
members of the Canada Fire Department and Jackson County Rescue
Squad and deputies from the Jackson County Sheriff's Office, set
up recovery operations at the edge of a pasture off Grays Ridge
Road in Canada Community Sunday (Aug. 17) after a World War II-vintage
aircraft crashed on a nearby wooded hillside, killing pilot Joe
Vance of Jonesboro, Ga., and critically injuring passenger Randy
Owens of Franklin. Canada firefighters put out the burning wreckage,
and deputies secured the site until the medical examiner arrived
and the victims' families were notified, said Canada Fire Chief
Steve Luker. County fire inspector Todd Dillard was also at the
scene Sunday, Luker said. Retired educator Dwight Moses, who lives
on N.C. 281 across from the crash site, saw the plane go down
and alerted county dispatchers. - Herald photo by Lynn Hotaling
Owens, who was able to unbuckle his seat belt and
crawl out, suffered burns to his left side as well as multiple
broken bones, said Ralph Morris, publisher of The Franklin Press.
He has twice undergone surgery, once to control internal bleeding
and once to set broken bones, Morris said.
His condition was still listed as critical Wednesday morning,
Morris said.
The Stearman's Sunday flight originated at the Macon County Airport,
where it was based as a transient aircraft, said Neil Hoppe, director
of fixed base operations, though it is registered at an airport
in Peachtree City, Ga.
Vance, whose father lives in Highlands, had begun offering weekend
sightseeing excursions from the airport near Franklin, Hoppe said.
Owens, a former pilot, was onboard to assist Vance in trying out
video equipment, the airport manager said.
Joe Vance of Jonesboro, Ga., is shown here
with his Stearman PT-17, which crashed Sunday in Canada community.
Vance, 59, who had temporarily moved his airplane to the Macon
County Airport, was killed Sunday when his plane went down. Passenger
Randy Owens, 38, of Franklin was critically injured and airlifted
to the University of Tennessee Burn Center in Knoxville.
Painted in the traditional Stearman colors, Vance's
plane had a dark navy blue fuselage and bright yellow wings, Hoppe
said.
A biplane with fixed landing gear manufactured in 1941, Vance's
Stearman was historically significant in that it was one of the
PT-17s used to train the famour Tuskegee Airmen, Hoppe said.
Owens
The Tuskegee Airmen were the black fighter pilots
of the 99th Pursuit Squadron, later incorporated into the 332nd
Fighter Group, who fought during World War II in the U.S. Army
Air Corps and were trained at Tuskegee Army Air Field in Tuskegee,
Ala.
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