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On Thursday, July 13, a plane crash near the Lake of Ozarks left two people dead and one other person seriously injured. According to KMBC, Osage Beach police officers first responded to the scene at approximately 12:30 pm.
The deceased victims were Hayden Ritchart (22) of Carrollton, Missouri, and Evan R. Vandiver (19) of Richmond, Missouri. The survivor was identified as 54-year-old Gary Vandiver from Richmond as well. Authorities have not confirmed the relationships between the victims.
The circumstances behind the Ozarks plane crash are currently under investigation by Missouri authorities. Though it has not been confirmed, they believe that Hayden Ritchart was the pilot. The make of the aircraft was listed as a Piper PA-28.
Authorities probe the Ozarks plane crash
As reported by KY3, the private aircraft reportedly took off from Lee C. Fine airport. Kansas City News, however, stated that the airplane took off from Grand Glaize airport, a municipally owned airfield which caters to several private plane owners near the Ozarks. Authorities have not confirmed the airport, nor where the plane was heading at the time of the crash.
Lt. Mike O'Day of the Osage Beach Police Department commented on the circumstances of the crash; a witness reportedly told officers that they saw the plane spiral and plummet down soon after its initial takeoff. The initial call about the plane arrived at approximately 12:10 pm. The aircraft was registered to Jeffrey Adams of Carrollton, Missouri.
O'Day stated:
“Our 911 Center received the call from a driver that was traveling on Osage Beach Parkway said he saw a plane that looked like it was going to crash and indicated that the plane that was going forward toward Margaritaville. Several agencies came to the area and started searching for the plane."
KCTV5 reported that due to the nature of the wooded area, it took some time for authorities to find the plane. Eventually a park ranger was able to locate the site of the crash. Subsequently, officials sent emergency crews on UTV's to probe the area and check on the victims.
Due to unconfirmed reasons, it crashed near the tree line of a golf course between RT KK and US 54 Hwy. Upon arriving at the scene, authorities discovered Hayden Ritchart and Evan R. Vandiver dead among the wreckage. Gary Vandiver was subsequently airlifted to a hospital. The names of the victims were released after authorities made next-of-kin notifications on Thursday.
The Osage Police Department said that they are primarily handling the case, and that they should be approached in case anyone has media-related inquiries. The Ozarks crash will also be probed by the National Transportation Safety Board.
