ROANOKE -- A pilot and a flying instructor were killed after an airplane crashed in a heavily wooded field in southern Denton County on Saturday afternoon.
The instructor, 63-year-old Charles Yates of Grapevine, was taken by helicopter ambulance to John Peter Smith Hospital in Fort Worth with serious injuries and died less than two hours later, authorities said.Christopher Pratt, 41, a licensed commercial pilot from Argyle, was pronounced dead about 1:30 p.m., according to the Tarrant County medical examiner's office. Pratt was the plane's owner.His Piper Cherokee PA-28 R180 attempted a takeoff heading south but quickly lost attitude and pancaked into a wooded area in Northlake shortly before 1:20 p.m., about a half-mile from the runway of Northwest Regional Airport, said Lonny Haschel, Texas Department of Public Safety spokesman.The wings of the aircraft broke off and ended up in trees while the fuselage crashed into the ground, Haschel said.Pratt was killed on impact, Haschel said.KTVT/Channel 11 reported that a news staff member, Doug Dunbar, was at the airport shooting another story at the time of the crash. Dunbar, who knew Yates, and three others raced to the crash site, where they found the flying instructor still conscious and talking but trapped in the wreckage under Pratt's body.The pilot's widow, Sarah Pratt, later released a statement saying, "It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to a wonderful husband, father and friend. Chris had a passion for life and loved to fly and spend time with his family. We love him and will miss him."The crash is being investigated by federal authorities, who were at the scene, Haschel saidAlexander Vanover, a flight student, told KXAS/Channel 5 that he also knew one of the victims."I saw him about 15 to 20 minutes before he went up," Vanover said. "He said a couple of words, and I said goodbye, shook his hand, and was out the door. I'm thinking of him. I remember that plane taking off, went inside to get my sunglasses, and when I came out, there were ambulances running down the runway."Mitch Mitchell, 817-390-7752Twitter:@mitchmitchel3Have more to add? News tip? Tell us
