Survivor dies in second air tragedy
A pilot killed in a plane crash in Michigan had a passion for flying that propelled him back into the cockpit after a crash nearly eight years ago that killed his wife and two children.
Dr Stephen Hatch, of Indiana, and his current wife Kim, died on Friday night near Charlevoix in a crash that left his son Austin, 16, in a critical condition.
A colleague of Dr Hatch, Dr David Bojrab, said Dr Hatch and his son survived the 2003 crash near Fort Wayne, Indiana. He said they were returning from their summer home – the same place they were flying to on Friday when the single-engine plane flew into a garage near the Charlevoix Municipal Airport.
A federal investigation found Dr Hatch partially responsible for the earlier crash, but Dr Bojrab said his friend disputed that.
Austin’s high school basketball coach said the next 24 to 48 hours were going to be critical for the teenager.
Dan Kline, coach at Canterbury School in Fort Wayne, said the team was “stunned” by news of the crash.
He said Austin, who committed earlier this month to play basketball at Michigan, was a physically and mentally strong young man.
