ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Monday, August 12, 1996 TAG: 9608130051
SECTION: NATL/INTL PAGE: A-2 EDITION: METRO
Crash kills W.Va. pilot, 2 passengers
SUMMERSVILLE, W.Va. - A novice pilot trying to make a landing crashed his small plane near an airport Sunday, dying in a fiery explosion along with his two passengers, police said.
Eyewitnesses told police the single-engine Cessna 172 approached Rader Airport but had trouble touching down properly, so the pilot pulled up and circled back around.
About a half-mile from the runway, the plane nose-dived, exploding when it hit the ground in a wooded area near a campground. No one on the ground was hurt.
Pilot Michael Jenkins, 26, of Milton had been flying for only a few months. Tiffany and Mark Cremeans of Milton also were killed, said Karen Ann Simsen, a state police spokeswoman. The cause of the crash was not immediately known.
- Associated Press
Autistic boy found alive in Fla. swamp
FORT WALTON BEACH, Fla. - A 12-year-old autistic boy who spent four nights lost in a swamp that was a challenge even to Army Rangers was found Sunday, naked and hungry but with just a few scratches.
Taylor Touchstone was hospitalized in good condition after a boater found him bobbing in East Bay River, about 14 miles from where he vanished Wednesday afternoon while on a family outing.
``Everyone is absolutely dumbfounded,'' said Rick Hord, a spokesman for the Okaloosa County Sheriff's Office. ``He went four nights and five days without food. He was drinking creek water. There were severe thunderstorms in the area
Suzanne Touchstone said her son is moderately autistic but can communicate. Although he didn't say much about his adventure, he remembered his boat ride to safety out of the dangerous swamps.
Taylor's ordeal began on an outing with his mother and sister in a remote area of Eglin Air Force Base in the Florida Panhandle. The boy jumped from a small bridge over Turtle Creek and ``just kept going,'' Hord said.
- Associated Press
TV tower repair kills copter pilot
ADEL, Ga. - A helicopter struck a television tower undergoing repairs Sunday morning and crashed, killing the pilot and injuring a tower worker.
The chopper was preparing to lift the old antenna off the 900-foot tower and lower it to the ground when the rotor blade nicked the tip of the 56-foot antenna pole and broke off, WGVP-TV station owner Gary Hutchens said.
The helicopter then crashed, falling near a wooded area behind the tower.
The pilot, alone aboard the helicopter, was not immediately identified.
Clay Mitchell and another worker were tied to the tower at the time of the collision. Mitchell suffered a broken foot.
Agents from the Federal Aviation Administration were at the accident site in south-central Georgia. Hutchens said he planned to make a copy of a videotape a station employee made of the repair work and accident to give to investigators.
WGVP, a Warner Bros. affiliate, went on the air last year. It is owned by Hutchens Communications Inc.
- Associated Press
Park train derails, killing 1, injuring 8
THORNTOWN, Ind. - An amusement park train derailed as it rounded a bend Sunday, killing a woman and critically injuring her 4-year-old granddaughter. Six other members of the same family were injured.
Nancy Jones, 57, of Indianapolis died at Old Indiana Fun Park when two cars on a train that travels around the park flipped over. Jones was thrown from her seat and slammed into a tree, said Boone County Sheriff Ern Hudson.
A granddaughter, 4-year-old Emily Hunt, suffered severe head injuries, and a broken neck, jaw, and left arm.
Jones' husband suffered a broken leg, her sister a broken arm and four other grandchildren had minor injuries. Another woman who was not related suffered arm and shoulder injuries.
Hudson said he did not know how fast the open-top train was going at the time of the accident, but said many people reported that it had been going ``unusually fast.'' State and local authorities were investigating at the park, which is 25 miles northwest of Indianapolis.
``Something like this is a freak incident,'' park spokesman Ron Below said. ``Until we know what caused it, we don't what measures to take to prevent it.''
- Associated Press
Cat lovers snarl at leash-law plan
ANDERSON, Ind. - Some kitty lovers are in a snit over a proposed city ordinance that would require leashes for all cats.
One, who says such a requirement would be ``medieval,'' cursed the city attorney who presented the measure, wishing for his death.
The ordinance moved closer to law Thursday night when City Council gave preliminary approval. It will be eligible for final passage Sept.12.
Councilman Robert Scharnowske said cats should not be allowed to roam free.
``I do have a personal vendetta,'' he said. ``Cats kill birds and rabbits. Cats should be no more immune than dogs.''
Attorney Katherine Harvey, an animal rights activist, said the panel should not amend the leash ordinance.
``This is medieval and contrary to what most humane societies are doing,'' she said. Following the vote, she approached Assistant City Attorney J.D. Gillespie, who had presented the ordinance.
``I hate you,'' she told him. After walking away, Harvey returned and addressed Gillespie again: ``I hope you die.''
- Associated Press
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