What should have been a happy family holiday weekend turned out to be tragic after two grandparents died in a plane crash while flying to be with their family for Thanksgiving.
Joseph and Patty Kreher from Freeburg, Illinois, died on Saturday after their twin-engine Piper PA-30 aircraft crashed at around 11:15 am in Winston-Salem, North Carolina. The plane took off from St. Louis Downtown Airport in Cahokia and made a stop in London, Kentucky before the fatal accident.
Air Safety investigator Pete Wentz spoke to media and said that the pilot had communicated with the radio tower, and said there was an issue with the plane before it went down. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating to determine the cause of the crash.
During his call to the tower, “The pilot said he needed to circle the airport for a second attempt. While maneuvering the circle, the aircraft lost control and crashed,” Wentz said.
The plane crashed into the backyard of a resident, Susan Harrison-Bailey. Fortunately, no one on the ground was injured. According to the woman, it didn’t hit her home and the smoke prevented her from immediately knowing what was going on.
“At first, I couldn’t tell whether it was a plane. There was a lot of smoke… it smashed into the trees and landed straight up and down,” she said.
The Kreher couple owned a machine shop business called General Machine, providing large equipment repair and parts.
A family member confirmed that the Krehers were flying in to visit their son and grandchildren for Thanksgiving. “They have made several trips from St. Louis to North Carolina several times before without any incident,” the family member said.
