It is believed the pilot of a small, single engine aircraft may have had a heart attack prior to its crashing in a field about four miles southwest of the Guthrie Center Airport Friday, killing all four aboard. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office reports they were notified at about 5:08 p.m. by Des Moines Air Traffic Control that the plane needed to make an emergency landing at the Guthrie Center Airport. They said the pilot was impaired and a student pilot would be attempting the emergency landing. Guthrie Center Fire and Rescue and Panora Rescue responded to the airport, but the aircraft, that had left Le Mars on its way to Osceola, never arrived. An extensive search was initiated, and at about 6:30 a.m. on Saturday, Nov. 10, a Guthrie County resident reported they had located the plane in a cow pasture. The plane impacted hard and all four on board were pronounced dead at the scene. They have been identified as 49-year-old Edward Ralph Anderson, 36-year-old Patrick Kellan and 15-year-old Samantha Clark, all of Le Mars, and 28-year-old Tyler Douvia of Merrill. The bodies were transported to the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office and the crash site has been secured pending an investigation by the FAA. The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office was assisted by the Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Adair, Dallas and Carroll County Sheriff’s Offices, Panora and Stuart Police Departments and many other law enforcement, fire and rescue agencies.
