Goddard man, 77, killed when plane he was flying goes down in Kansas field
A 77-year-old Goddard man was killed when a small plane went down Sunday afternoon in central Kansas.
Kansas Highway Patrol crash logs identified the man as Ronnie D. Thompson.
The crash was reported at 1:30 p.m. in the area of 4th Road and Avenue D in Ellsworth County. A witness saw a plane go down for “no apparent reason,” according to the KHP.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash, which involved a 1946 Piper J3C-65 plane. The KHP said Thompson was heading back to Wichita from Lucas, a city in Russell County.
Matthew Fulkerson lives just outside of Wilson in Ellsworth County and hears planes flying over his home frequently. He was coming back home from a car show Sunday and heard emergency sirens.
Fulkerson said the plane crashed in a field on his neighbor’s property.
“I drove over and took a look and saw the wreck,” Fulkerson said over the phone.
By the time Fulkerson got to the crash site, officials had already cleared the scene. Authorities cordoned the plane off with yellow tape. He initially thought it was a friend’s plane.
“When I saw it was a yellow plane, I thought it was one of my friends. I reached out to her, and thank goodness it wasn’t her,” Fulkerson said. “You never want to see something like this happen, and my prayers are going out to the family.”