March 27, 2005

Plane crash victims identified, from Lafayette area

WEST LAFAYETTE, Ind. – The Tippecanoe County coroner’s office has identified the victims of Saturday’s (March 26) early morning single-engine plane crash as Dustin L. Walters, 22, and Tiesa L. Knoth (TY-eesa KNOTH), 34.

Walters lived at 1105 N. 18 St., Lafayette, and Knoth lived at 4421 Crossbow Court, West Lafayette. Walters was piloting the Piper Arrow four-seat plane when it crashed about 5:40 a.m. into McCormick Woods, on the northwest edge of the Purdue University campus. The National Transportation and Safety Board (NTSB) is investigating to determine the cause of the crash, but indications are that there was no fire, said Joseph L. Bennett, Purdue vice president for university relations.

Neither Walters or Knoth had been working or studying at Purdue.

The pair took off in the plane between 5-5:30 a.m. from the Purdue University Airport, Bennett said. The plane belonged to Lafayette Aviation, a private company based at the airport to provide maintenance, charters, rentals and flight instruction. Walters, the pilot, is a former employee of that company.

Police were first alerted at 5:42 a.m. by a resident who called 911 to say he had just heard the sound of a laboring airplane engine and then a boom. Purdue police found the plane at 7 a.m. near McCormick Road and Cherry Lane, close to Purdue's Ackerman Hills Golf Course.

Jeff M. Pittard, president of the company, said the plane is valued at about $65,000.

This is the fifth fatal accident at or near the airport since it was established in 1930, when Purdue became the first university in the country to operate its own such facility.

In addition to Purdue police, the coroner and NTSB, representatives of Purdue's Fire Department and the Tippecanoe County Sheriff's Department assisted.

Writer: Jeanne V. Norberg, director, Purdue News Service, (765) 494-2084; home (765) 449-4986; jnorberg@purdue.edu

Source: Joseph L. Bennett, (765) 494-2085, cell (765) 427-1112; pager (765) 423-8937, jlbennett@purdue.edu

Purdue News Service: (765) 494-2096; purduenews@purdue.edu

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