LAKE ELMO, Minn. — As a group of pilots focused on flying and fixing their planes, the Experimental Aircraft Association, Chapter 54, knows the importance of connection.
After all, that’s what the group does multiple times a week, every week of the year.
“The fellowship part of this is really important,” said Gregg Adler, from the group’s meeting house at the Lake Elmo Airport.
But this week, the group’s fellowship is focused on grieving, after two of the group’s members died in a crash in Afton, Minnesota on Saturday morning.
On Monday, the Ramsey County Medical Examiner’s Office confirmed the two men who died in the crash were 85-year-old William Patrick Moore – known as Pat – of White Bear Lake, and 68-year-old Mitchell Jay Zahler, of Baytown Township.
According to a statement from the National Transportation Safety Board, Moore was flying his Globe GC1 airplane with Zahler as the passenger at 9:42 a.m. Saturday when the “plane impacted terrain next to a house under unknown circumstances.”
An NTSB investigator has just begun an investigation that will include reviewing the flight track data, recordings of any air traffic control communication and any video of the crash. Witnesses who may have captured images or video of the plane or crash – including from doorbell cameras – are asked to contact the NTSB at: witness@ntsb.gov.
Meantime, members of the EAA, Chapter 54, know they may not find all the answers related to what happened to their friends.
“These things happen, and we don’t always know why,” Adler said.
But what is clear, Adler said, is that the group will miss two important members.
Zahler was “a fun guy” and good friend, Adler said, who once worked at Andersen Windows, went hunting and fishing and loved his dog, Sophie, and his wife, Maureen. Adler recalled how Zahler was always willing to help others fix their planes.
“Think of how many hours he spent working on peoples' airplanes and never charged anybody,” Adler recalled.
Similarly, Moore always showed up for a chat or to mentor young fliers through the chapter’s Young Eagles program. The salesman for Johnson Printing and Packaging, and accomplished artist, was also a devoted husband of Vicky and a dad of two sons.
“He was one of those guys who didn’t say much, but when he did say something, it was probably worth saying,” Adler said.
Both men – longtime pilots, friends and members of the pilot community – served as amazing ambassadors, Adler said, of both aviation and their faith.
“Christian faith was a big thing for them,” Adler said, adding, “There’s going to be a hole in the group.”
WATCH MORE ON KARE 11+
Download the free KARE 11+ app for Roku, Fire TV, Apple TV and other smart TV platforms to watch more from KARE 11 anytime! The KARE 11+ app includes live streams of all of KARE 11's newscasts. You'll also find on-demand replays of newscasts; the latest from KARE 11 Investigates, Breaking the News and the Land of 10,000 Stories; exclusive programs like Verify and HeartThreads; and Minnesota sports talk from our partners at Locked On Minnesota.
- Add KARE 11+ on Roku here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Roku Channel Store.
- Add KARE 11+ on Fire TV here or by searching for KARE 11 in the Amazon App Store.
- Learn more about the KARE 11+ app for Apple TV in the Apple App Store.
- Learn more about KARE 11+ here.
Watch more local news:
Watch the latest local news from the Twin Cities and across Minnesota in our YouTube playlist: