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Wesley Harris, Julie Lefevre, Robert Harris, and Philip Cowger dead in small plane crash into residential yard on Van Horn Road in Pope County, Arkansas

Modified Date: 
Sat, 02/26/2022 - 12:09pm
Accident Date: 
Thursday, October 29, 2015

Emergency official: 3 dead in Arkansas small plane crash - WTOP

 Arkansas Department of Emergency Management spokeswoman Kathy Wright says the small plane crashed Thursday morning in a resident’s yard near the town of Pottsville, about 70 miles northwest of Little Rock. Wright says the plane took off Thursday morning from a small airport in Russellville. It wasn’t immediately clear who owned the plane or its intended destination. 

Three dead in Pope County plane crash

Three people have died in a plane crash in Pope County outside of Pottsville Thursday morning, a spokeswoman with the state Department of Emergency Management said. The three were flying in a small aircraft that took off from nearby Russellville Airport and crashed in a residential yard, spokeswoman Kathy Wright said. The accident happened off of Van Horn Road.

Sheriff: 4 dead in Arkansas small plane crash

Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Lynn Lunsford says the Beechcraft Bonanza aircraft took off from the Russellville Regional Airport and was headed to Knoxville, Tennessee. Authorities initially reported three fatalities in the crash, but a spokesman with the Federal Aviation Administration says the aircraft was destroyed by fire. The sheriff says all four people were discovered dead at the scene. Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones says four people were aboard the plane when it crashed in a rural residential area near the town of Pottsville, about 70 miles northwest of Little Rock.

Coroner: Will take several days to identify plane crash victims

The Pope County coroner said it will take several days for DNA tests to confirm the identities of four victims of Thursday's plane crash near the Russellville airport. Coroner Danny White said the family members of those believed to be aboard the Beechcraft Bonanza have been notified of the accident. The plane bound for Knoxville with four people on board was headed to a funeral, the Arkansas Democrat Gazette reported Friday. The crash occurred at the base of Crow Mountain shortly after the plane took off from Russellville Regional Airport at 7:45 a.m. Medical examiners have not determined if the victims died from the impact of the crash or the subsequent fire.

4 dead after small Knoxville-bound plane crashes in Arkansas

At a press conference, Pope County Sheriff Shane Jones said the plane was based in Russellville, but would not release any information about who owned the plane or who could have been on board. 

Family releases names of Russellville plane crash victims

Wesley Harris, Julie Lefevre, and Robert Harris were killed in the crash. The family says they were flying to Knoxville to attend an uncle's funeral. The pilot's name has not officially been released.

Update: 4 Dead in Pope Co. Plane Crash

Friends and family told KARK the 4 who died in the accident are Robert Harris, Wesley Harris, Julie Lefevre, and Philip Cowger.  Those names have not been released by law enforcement and won’t be until positive identification has been made by the medical examiner, which could take a few days. 

An airplane headed for Knoxville has crashed in Arkansas, killing the four people on board.The single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza crashed around 8 a.m. Thursday, shortly after takeoff from the Russellville Regional Airport. The plane caught fire after the impact. Local authorities confirm that the four passengers on board are deceased. The bodies have been turned over to the coronor who will confirm their identities. There was no one injured on the ground.

Why every fatality from a crash is not legally a wrongful death

After someone dies in a motor-vehicle accident, grieving family members and friends are often left with many questions. What caused the accident? Could it have been avoided? What do they do now that their loved one is gone?

Sometimes a fatal collision happens through no one's fault. Crashes caused by weather and road conditions, or by wildlife in the roadway, are examples. But when a fatal crash is caused by negligence, then family members should pursue a wrongful death claim, to uphold the victim's rights and begin the financial recovery process. Learn more about wrongful death claims here.

Type: Aircraft Accident
Topics: 
Fire
People Involved: 
Wesley Harris
Julie Lefevre
Robert Harris
Philip Cowger
Roadway: 
Van Horn Road
City: 
Pottsville, AR
County: 
Pope County, AR
Area: 
Little Rock-Pine Bluff, AR

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