Former Olympian killed in small plane crash

July 30, 2012 In Sedona, Arizona, a two-time Olympic distance runner, his 15-year-old son, and his son’s 14-year-old friend were killed Thursday morning in a small plane crash, reports Yahoo Sports. Pat Porter was the 53-year-old pilot of the Beech B-60 when it crashed and burst into flames upon take off. The Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) said the airplane went off the end of the runway at Sedona Airport just before 9 a.m. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating this accident. NTSB is the lead investigative agency. Pat Porter competed in the 10,000-meter run at the 1984 Summer Games in Los Angeles and 1988 Games in Seoul, South Korea. His wife is also a former Olympian. She was a high jumper for the U.S. in Seoul. She met Porter during a pre-Olympic training camp for the 1988 Seoul Olympics. They married in 1991 and moved to Albuquerque in 1994. Just before the crash, his wife said that she and her husband had exchanged a series of ''humorous text messages. He made me laugh. He was just a lot of fun.'' Their son was nationally ranked in fencing. His friend was preparing for his freshman year at Albuquerque Academy and was a soccer player. The aviation accident lawyers at Nurenberg, Paris, Heller & McCarthy extend our condolences to the families and the friends of the three people who died in the general aviation accident.

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