By Brandon Evans | Published Sunday, October 11, 2009
Several days after a twin engine turboprop plane went down in a pasture near Aurora, the four men aboard the plane remain hospitalized, including a Wise County attorney.
Kendall Hill, of Alvord, was a passenger on the aircraft. Hill has a law office in Decatur. He suffered serious injuries in the crash and was transported to a Fort Worth hospital. A spokesman for the family said his condition is steadily improving.
"Kendall Hill remains a patient at John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth and is progressing. The family is grateful for the wonderful nurses and doctors who are treating him and they appreciate everyone's continued prayers," said John Jose. "Visitation is limited to immediate family to allow Kendall to continue to progress."
On a cloudy and windy Tuesday afternoon, pilot Rod Lawrence told air traffic controllers both engines on the plane had died.
"The pilot reported that he was very low on fuel pressure and both engines quit right before the accident," said Lynn Lunsford, a spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA).
The aircraft smashed through a stock tank before coming to a halt by a pond in a pasture by Currie Road. The left wing and stabilizer were torn off, the nose was bent completely to the left and the underside of the fuselage was slightly crushed. Rescue workers pried off the door to the plane to extract the four men.
Lawrence remains hospitalized in Fort Worth after sustaining serious injuries in the accident.
The owner of the plane, Robert Schumacher, was also on board. He sustained critical injuries and also remains hospitalized. Schumacher is part owner of Texland Petroleum.
Jerry Namy was the fourth passenger on the plane. He also suffered critical injuries and remains hospitalized in Fort Worth. He is the president of Texland Petroleum.
The plane was traveling from Oklahoma City to Meacham International in Fort Worth.
Lunsford said the investigation into the cause of the accident might take several months. The National Transportation Safety Board has taken the lead role in the investigation due to the seriousness of the injuries.
