Alva Review-Courier -

Cory Washburn, 39, of Alva was badly burned in a plane crash Saturday afternoon in Alva. The son of Kirk and Drue Washburn of Alva, Cory and his wife Sarah have one son. Washburn was flown by AirEvac to Baptist Burn Center in Oklahoma City where he was admitted in critical condition. His father informed this newspaper he died about 7 a.m. Tuesday.

The pilot, David Thomas Chael, 61, of Enid, was pronounced dead at the scene from massive injuries, according to the Highway Patrol. He was a retired Air Force pilot. According to the report by OHP Trooper Justin Barney, the Beechcraft Bonanza single-engine plane crashed at 5:31 p.m. north of Share Medical Center in Alva. The aircraft was southbound approaching the north side of the airport when the cowl hatch (engine cover) opened.

Washburn was piloting at that time, but Chael took over. The retractable landing gear deployed and the front wheel struck a power line. The aircraft came to rest on its top. Both occupants were exiting the plane when it exploded. The crash is still under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.

David Chael

According to Kirk Washburn, Cory purchased the Beechcraft Bonanza about a week ago. Although Cory has been a pilot for some time, he needed 15 hours of instruction by a certified instructor to be qualified to fly the more complex aircraft with retractable landing gear. Share Medical CEO Kandice Allen said the plane crashed in the canyon just beyond the road that runs behind the hospital. The medical center lost electrical power, but the emergency generator came online until power could be restored. The plane crash also took out electrical power to a large part of Alva including the downtown area and Northwestern Oklahoma State University. Power was restored to most of the area about two hours later, but some OG&E customers did not have power until late that night.