DX contesters killed in plane crash

The tragic news is that four members of the C6APR DX team perished when their light aircraft crashed soon after take-off in South Carolina.

They were heading to Crooked Island in the Bahamas for this weekend’s CQ World Wide Contest, a location used on seven previous occasions by the team since 2006 including in the CQ WW and IOTA contests.

Killed were the pilot Pete Radding W2GJ, Ed Steeble K3IXD, Randy Hargenrader K4QO and Dallas Carter W3PP. Our thoughts are with their families at this time.

The six-seater twin-engine Piper Aztec PA-23 took off Summerville Airport pre-dawn on transit via Florida when it made a steep u-turn and crashed in a wooded area just 250-metres from the runway.

Details of the C6APR latest and ill-fated planned DX operation can be found at:
http://dx-hamspirit.com/2009/08/c6apr-crooked-island-
bahamas-2/

Jim Linton VK3PC

Press reports of the accident:
http://www.journalscene.com/news/Plane-crashes-at-Summerville-Airport

http://www.google.com/hostednews/ap/article/
ALeqM5h95DQXIf0IbLlQzxVdvlP4Q8LpqgD9BFO1Q00