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Fri Nov 20 20:25:43 PST 2009

NEWS

UPDATE: Students Injured in Plane Crash

UPDATED Tuesday, November 17, 2009 --- 10:00 a.m. DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) -- Federal aviation officials say a cabin door opened on a single-engine airplane owned by the University of Dubuque before it crashed in Cassville, Wis. Aviation students Grant Vogt, of Dubuque, and Cory Alsip, of Glendale Heights, Ill., were injured in the crash on Sept. 3, 2008. Vogt died six days later. They were flying from Dubuque to Prairie Du Chien, Wis., when they diverted to Cassville and crashed at Eagle's Roost Resort. In a report released last week, the National Transportation Safety Board says the left seat pilot reported the right cabin door opened in flight. The right seat pilot tried to hold the door closed as the flight diverted to Cassville, but it opened again and the plane crashed. Copyright 2009 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. ___________________________________________ UPDATED: Tuesday, September 9, 2008 --- 4:44 p.m. One of the two University of Dubuque students involved in the plane crash in Cassville died today at UW Hospital. Grant Vogt died around 3:40 p.m. NBC 15 received an e-mail statement from UD President Jeffrey Bullock confirming the death. Full statement from Bullock: It is with deep sorrow and regret that I share the news with you that Grant Vogt, a junior aviation student from Dubuque, Iowa, died at 3:40 p.m. today at University of Wisconsin Hospitals in Madison. Grant mounted a valiant fight while doctors and nurses worked tirelessly to address his medical issues. I know that Grant and his family have been in our prayers since the moment that we were notified of the aircraft incident last Wednesday afternoon involving him and Cory Alsip. Our hope was that both young men would recover from their injuries and be able to return to UD. Cory continues to make progress and today began a series of surgeries. We ask that you continue to keep Cory, his mother, Laura, and their family in your thoughts and prayers. Our University tradition is that we reach out to one another – in joy and sorrow, to surround each other with care and Christian love. We are now called in this sorrow to enfold Grant’s friends on campus and his parents, Larry and Julie Vogt, and other family members. While there is little that we can do that eases the pain of their loss, we can be present for and with them in the days and weeks ahead. Every day that we have is a gift from God and is given to us with the possibility to do great good. Let us do more than remember Grant Vogt, let us recommit ourselves, in his name, to treat each day we live as a gift and a fresh chance to be a force for good. Now, we return Grant to Him who has known him since before his birth, trusting in God’s unfailing mercy and care. Details about a memorial service will be forthcoming. ___________________________________________ UPDATED Thursday, September 4, 2008 --- 11:00am CASSVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- Two student aviators injured when their light plane crashed at a resort in southwestern Wisconsin remain hospitalized in critical condition Thursday. Grant County sheriff's officials say the University of Dubuque students were severely burned when their light plane went down at the Eagle's Roost Resort in Cassville and crashed into a tree and two cabins before igniting. A spokeswoman for University Hospital in Madison says the two remain in critical condition. The university identified the students as juniors Cory Alsip from Glendale Heights, Illinois, and Grant Vogt of Dubuque. On the university's Web site, president Jeffrey Bullock says the university plane was approaching the Cassville airport before it crashed. Witnesses say the two students were able to get out before the plane became fully engulfed in flames. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. ___________________________________________ UPDATED Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 10:00pm CASSVILLE, Wis. (AP) -- A light plane carrying two student aviators from the University of Dubuque crashed into a tree and cabins at a resort in southwestern Wisconsin and burst into flames this afternoon. Authorities say both students were severely burned. The Grant County sheriff's office said the accident happened just before 4 p.m. at the Eagle's Roost Resort in the village of Cassville. The resulting fire destroyed one cabin and extensively damaged another. Both people on the plane have been flown to University Hospital in Madison where they're reported in critical condition tonight. The University of Dubuque in nearby Dubuque, Iowa, posted a statement on its Web site that identified the student aviators as juniors Cory Alsip from Glendale Heights, Illinois, and Grant Vogt of Dubuque. The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the accident. Copyright 2008 The Associated Press. ___________________________________________ UPDATED: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 9:48p.m. From NBC15's Barclay Pollak Mary Wildman lives less than a block away from the crash site. She says, "Well I heard the plane engine and it revved real loud. And I could tell it was low because it was loud. And then it quit. And then I heard a crash and big explosion." Roger Breuer was in his home near the crash site when it happened. He says, "By the time I got over here and got through the brush and stuff, they had two guys laid out on the lawn here. They must have flew out of the plane or whatever and they drug them out on the lawn. And they were burnt bad. One of them was really bad." ___________________________________________ UPDATED: Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 8:57 p.m. A UW Burn Center spokesperson tells NBC 15 that Cory Alsip and Grant Vogt are in critical condition there after today's plane crash in Grant County. ___________________________________________ UPDATED Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 8:20pm Statement from the University of Dubuque. To: The University Family From: Jeffrey F. Bullock The University was notified late this afternoon, Wednesday, September 3, that two University of Dubuque student aviators were involved in an aircraft incident in Cassville, Wisconsin. Complete details regarding the incident have not been confirmed at this point, but it appears that the Trinidad aircraft in which the two students were flying impacted two buildings, and a fire resulted. The student aviators involved are juniors Cory Alsip, Glendale Heights, Illinois and Grant Vogt, Dubuque, Iowa. They were transported to Lancaster Regional Health Center, were stabilized, and have been airlifted to University Hospitals in Madison. The University is grateful to Cassville Rescue personnel and police, the Emergency Room staff at Lancaster Regional Hospital, and University Hospitals in Madison for their excellent care. For support and further information, please contact your resident assistants, hall directors, or Safety and Security (3333). Please check the Intranet for information concerning prayer services tomorrow and additional updates. We come together tonight as a University family, wrapping our arms around our two students and their families in this most difficult hour. It's our University of Dubuque tradition - what we do in times of joy and of sorrow. So wherever you are this evening, I thank you for your prayers for Cory, Grant, and their families. ______________________________________________ UPDATED Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 6:48pm From the Telegraph Herald, in Dubuque Iowa: CASSVILLE, Wis. - A small plane crashed near the Cassville airport this afternoon. Two University of Dubuque students were involved in the crash, said Kristi Brachman, director of public information at UD. The two were seriously injured, according to one source. The plane reportedly struck a cabin at a resort, near the airport. ______________________________________________ UPDATED Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 6:45pm From the Grant County Sheriff: At 3:53pm on September 3, the Grant County 911 communication center received multiple reports of an airplane crash and subsequent explosion in the Village of Cassville. A small aircraft with two occupants crashed near Jack Oak Road in the Village of Cassville. The plane struck a tree and several buildings, and burst into flames upon impact. The plane's two occupants were transported by ambulance to Grant Regional Health Center in Lancaster with severe burns, and from there were flown to the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison. Cassville Fire and EMS, West Grant EMS, Cassville Police and the Grant County Sheriff's Office responded to the scene. The Cassville Police Department and FAA are investigating the accident. The resulting fire spread to two cabins at the Eagle's Roost Resort. One cabin was destroyed, and a second cabin was extensively damaged. ______________________________________________ Posted Wednesday, September 3, 2008 --- 4:25pm NBC15 News has learned a small plane has crashed in Grant County. The City Clerk's office in Cassville confirms the plane crashed into the Eagle's Roost Cabins. NBC 15 has learned the two people injured in the crash are the plane's pilot and a passenger. Both are headed to UW Hospital via Med Flight and are likely to go to the burn clinic, according to a spokesperson with the Grant County Regional Medical Center. Stay with NBC15 and NBC15.com for continuing coverage.

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