Roanoke Times
Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: WEDNESDAY, January 1, 1992 TAG: 9201010168
SECTION: VIRGINIA PAGE: A-1 EDITION: HOLIDAY
SOURCE: By MIKE HUDSON and DAVID M. POOLE STAFF WRITERS
DATELINE: LENGTH: Medium
5 FROM FRANKLIN COUNTY SURVIVE CRASH OF THEIR PLANE
Five Franklin County residents on their way to a funeral escaped with their
lives Tuesday when their small plane crashed near an airport in northeastern
Indiana.
Their single-engine Cessna was so mangled that the four adults and a
toddler were lucky to survive, an airport official in Huntington, Ind., said.
"The Lord was watching over us, that's for sure," passenger Dennis Jamison,
26, said Tuesday afternoon.
The pilot, Marlyn Bowman, lost control of the Cessna 182 after ice formed
on the wings during the early morning flight.
Bowman, 44, broke both ankles. His wife, Connie, 49, broke her pelvis.
Jamison said he and his wife, Connie, 28, were "just sore and bruised up"
after the crash. Their 1-year-old son, Clinton, bruised his head and was
expected to be released from the hospital today, Jamison said.
The plane left Roanoke early Tuesday and crashed about 7:15 a.m. near
Huntington County Airport. Bowman was given clearance to land at the airport,
but the plane belly-flopped into a field and landed on its nose, officials
said.
Jamison said in a telephone interview that Bowman had not intended to land
at Huntington. Instead, they planned to fly to a grass landing strip 12 miles
away at Servia so they could attend the 10 a.m. funeral of Connie Jamison's
grandfather.
As Bowman dropped the plane below the clouds at Huntington, however, the
wings iced over, Jamison said. "The man at the airport told him to get back
up, but he couldn't get up" much higher, Jamison said.
The air-traffic controller told Bowman to drop down again. But as the
Cessna descended, the ice got worse. "Marlyn said it just froze up the
controls and there wasn't much he could do," Jamison said.
The plane crashed in a dirt field near a highway, within site of the
airport.
The Jamisons and their son were able to get out immediately. Clinton "was
crying and my wife was holding him." The Bowmans had to wait for rescuers.
A motorist stopped right after the crash and rescue crews were there within
two minutes, Jamison said.
Jamison said doctors were operating on one of Marlyn Bowman's ankles
Tuesday afternoon. The Bowmans both were listed in stable condition at
Huntington Memorial Hospital.
Marlyn Bowman is owner of Bowman's Meat Processing near Burnt Chimney. His
first cousin is Dennis Jamison's mother.
A Federal Aviation Administration official was on the scene to
investigate.
The single-engine plane was not certified to fly in icing conditions,
according to Huntington Airport Manager Phil Bos.
It was drizzling rain on the ground at the time of the crash.
Associated Press contributed information to this story.