More detail on this person: Carl B Terry Two killed in air explosion Ocala Star-Banner (FL) - Tuesday, December 24, 1991 RAINBOW LAKES ESTATES -- A Winter Haven pilot and a mother of five were killed Monday when they plunged to their deaths following an explosion aboard a twin-engine aircraft. Carl Terry, 56, was flying a Piper Seneca about 2,500 feet over west Marion County with co-pilot Linda Varner Keath, 45, also of Winter Haven, when the accident occurred, said Lt. Ken Ergle of the Marion County Sheriff's Department. Late Monday, investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration were searching for clues at the crash site but the explosion remained a mystery. Two main sections of the plane were found about 500 yeards apart in a wooded area along Terrapin Avenue in Rainbow Lakes Estates, far from any residences. The cockpit, fuselage and tail section shattered and pieces of the plane were strewn over a distance of a mile, according to Ergle. Keath's body was discovered about 500 yards west of Terrapin Avenue, almost 50 feet from one of the main sections of the wreckage. Terry's body was found another 100 yards farther west in the same wooded area. The plane possibly took off from the Winter Haven Municipal Airport, according to Keath's flight instructor Charles Cone. "I believe I saw the plane take off Monday morning, but I didn't know their destination," Cone said. Federal Flight Services in Gainesville and Jacksonville reported that they did not have a flight plan for the six-passenger airplane. An eyewitness to the explosion told The Star-Banner he did not see anything unusual about the plane's flight until he saw a puff of smoke. "I was sitting in my truck parked along a field on our farm when I just happened to look up and see the plane just before the explosion," said Willis Markham, an employee at the Coke Markham Farm in Romeo, just north of Rainbow Lakes Estates. "I saw a little bit of colored smoke come from the plane, and then it flew into a million pieces." Markham said the plane appeared to be heading northwest. "It didn't appear to be coming from Ocala. I couldn't tell if the explosion came from the engine or from inside the plane," he said. "After the explosion, the plane started circling down for a minute or so before it hit the ground." Markham said he couldn't see anyone in the plane, but did notice something hanging onto the plane as it descended. B.J. Weibley, who lives about two miles from the crash, heard the plane's engine noises but couldn't see what was happening. "I heard it, but didn't see it. From what I could hear I thought it might be a crop duster, and doing loop-de-loops. Suddenly it sounded like it was going up at full power. I never did see it until after it hit the ground," Weibley said. Cone said Keath was a good flier. "She was a good pilot. I flew with her all the time. I was very comfortable flying with her. She was an excellent lady to know . . . very giving," Cone said. "Mrs. Keath earned her private pilot's license more than a year ago, and then earned her multi-engine rating later. Presently, she was working on her instrument certification," Cone said.
Burial information: Barrancas National Cemetery, Pensacola, FL
This information was last updated 02/12/2021
Please send additions or corrections to: HQ@vhpa.org VHPA Headquarters
Return to the Helicopter Pilot DAT name list
Return to VHPA web site
Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
Copyright © 1998 - 2024 Vietnam Helicopter Pilots Association