Sheriff’s officials in Guthrie County this (Saturday) afternoon, released the names of four people, including three adults and one teenager, who died in a single engine airplane crash Friday evening while en-route from LeMars to Osceola. The victims were identified as the pilot, 49-year old  Edward Ralph Anderson, and his passengers 36-year old Patrick Kellen, and 15-year old Samantha Clark, all of LeMars, along with 28-year old Tyler Douvia, of Merrill, Iowa. The deceased occupants of the plane have been transported to the Iowa Medical Examiner’s Office. The crash site is being secured pending an investigation by the FAA.

Authorities say a little after 5-p.m. Friday,  the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office received a phone call from Des Moines Air Traffic Control requesting an emergency landing for a single engine aircraft tail# 91770 at the Guthrie Center Airport. Des Moines Traffic Control advised the pilot had suffered a heart attack and a student pilot would be attempting an emergency landing.

Guthrie Center Fire and Rescue along with Panora Rescue were dispatched to the Guthrie Center Airport for the emergency landing. The aircraft never arrived at the airport. Des Moines Traffic Control reported the aircraft dropped off radar approximately 4 miles southwest of the Guthrie Center Airport. The aircraft had left Le Mars, Iowa at around 4:15-p.m..

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office launched an extensive search and rescue mission to locate the aircraft. The Sheriff’s office utilized the assistance of the Iowa State Patrol, Iowa Department of Natural Resources, Adair County Sheriff’s Office, Dallas County Sheriff’s Office, Carroll County Sheriff’s Office, Panora police Department, Stuart Police Department, Guthrie County Emergency Management, Guthrie Center Fire and Rescue, Panora Fire and Rescue, and numerous other law enforcement, fire, and rescue agencies.

At around 6:30-a.m. Saturday (Today), a Guthrie County Citizen reported a small plane crash in a cow pasture southwest of the intersection of 265^th and Maple Avenue. The plane was identified as the missing aircraft. It had impacted the terrain very hard before skidding to a stop. (All photo’s below supplied by the Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office)