Equipment failure was the cause of a 4,200-gallon spill of oil and saltwater at an oil well pad operated by Cornerstone Natural Resources LLC. in Burke County, ND

Oil spill in far northern ND flows into slough -- almost 300 reported in state since Jan. 1 

By Barry Amundson Today at 4:32 p.m.



BISMARCK, N.D. – An oil and saltwater spill from an equipment failure on a well pad near Bowbells in far northern North Dakota has flowed into an adjacent slough.


The North Dakota Department of Health was notified Sunday, May 21, of the 100-barrel or 4,200-gallon oil emulsion spill at the site about 70 miles northwest of Minot.

The spill on Saturday, May 20, was at a well pad operated by Cornerstone Natural Resources LLC. Oil emulsion is a mixture of crude oil and saltwater produced from a well and before treatment.

The spill was an estimated 25 barrels or 1,050 gallons of oil and 75 barrels or 3,150 gallons of saltwater. An unknown amount of this emulsion flowed off the well pad and into the slough. Cornerstone has deployed booms in the slough to contain the emulsion, and an environmental remediation company has begun pumping impacted water out of the slough and excavating impacted soils.

NDDoH personnel have been on the site and will continue to monitor the investigation and cleanup.

From Jan. 1 to May 1, there have been 539 spills related to the oil and gas industry in North Dakota, according to the NDoH. That includes 287 oil spills, 176 saltwater spills and 76 in the other category.



===============

Equipment Failure Cited for Oil-Brine Spill in Burke County

The state Health Department says equipment failure was the cause of a 4,200-gallon spill of oil and saltwater at an oil well pad in Burke County.


May 25, 2017, at 4:25 p.m.


BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) — The state Health Department says equipment failure was the cause of a 4,200-gallon spill of oil and saltwater at an oil well pad in Burke County.


The pad about 6 ½ miles southwest of Bowbells is operated by Cornerstone Natural Resources LLC.


Health officials say about 1,050 gallons of oil and 3,150 gallons of brine were released on Saturday. An unknown amount flowed into a nearby slough.

Work is underway to clean up the slough and contaminated soils. Health Department personnel have visited the site and are monitoring cleanup. 

=============

CORNERSTONE NATURAL RESOURCES LLC

Cornerstone Natural Resources is a Denver based independent oil and gas company focused on building a long-lived reserve base in the Williston Basin.

 

With a current inventory of over 50,000 net acres, which includes over 50 operated Bakken pool drilling units (Middle Bakken & Three Forks) and an additional 70 operated drilling units targeting the overlying Midale reservoir;Cornerstone is poised for significant growth.

 

The Company currently operates 43 active wells in North Dakota, producing from the Midale, Bakken and Three Forks reservoirs, and holds a working interest in an additional 39 outside operated wells. All of the aforementioned reservoirs are currently being developed by Cornerstone using horizontal stage frac completions.

  

Production
Cornerstone is a significant oil & gas producer in Burke County, North Dakota. Cornerstone’s net production in North Dakota is approximately 400 BOEPD from 43 operated and 39 outside-operated wells.

Ongoing Development
Cornerstone holds interests in over 50,000 net acres of leasehold in Burke and Mountrail Counties, North Dakota. With a current inventory of Bakken, Three Forks and Midale drilling opportunities; Cornerstone is poised for growth.

With strong operational control over its leasehold and development timing, Cornerstone’s has focused its development on the Midale, Bakken and Three Forks reservoirs..

Speeding and inattentive Norwood, NC employee Christopher Joel Coone, 28, was killed when he rear-ended a stopped tractor trailer at U.S. Highway 52 and N.C. Highway 731. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash

Norwood, NC employee dies on job

Ritchie Starnes, News Editor


A Norwood town employee who was also a Center Rural volunteer firefighter was killed Tuesday afternoon when he rear-ended a stopped tractor trailer.

Christopher Joel Coone, 28, died in the 1:11 p.m. crash at U.S. Highway 52 and N.C. Highway 731, according to the N.C. Highway Patrol.

Coone was driving south in a town-owned 2016 Ford work truck when he crashed into the back of the southbound tractor trailer that was waiting to turn left on N.C. 731 from U.S. 52, reports show.

Coone was pronounced dead at the scene.

Coone, who also lived in Norwood, failed to reduce his speed when he struck the yielding big rig, the Highway Patrol reports.

There was no sign Coone ever applied his brakes before impact, hitting the tractor trailer at an estimated speed of 55 mph. He was not wearing a seatbelt at the time of the crash, said trooper W.A. Vaughn.

“He (Coone) was distracted by something or had possibly fallen asleep,” Vaughn said.

Coone’s cellphone was found in the wreckage, but eliminated as a possible source of distraction, Vaughn added.

Coone had been a part of the rescue team that responded to Monday’s recovery of a suicide victim in the Rocky River. Some of those responders were up late until early Tuesday morning with the water recovery.

“That’s definitely a possibility (for why Coone may have not been as attentive), but there’s no way of knowing for sure,” Vaughn said.

First responders still working the water recovery were among the first on the scene of one of their own, Norwood Town Administrator John Mullis said.

Hired last November, Coone worked as a crew leader for the town’s water and sewer department.

“He was absolutely a go-getter. That’s why he was our crew leader,” Mullis said. “Chris was an asset to the town and he’s going to be missed.”

Just prior to the fatal crash, Coone had left lunch at the Harvest Diner and was en route to the town’s wastewater treatment plant to unlock the gate in preparation of a delivery, Mullis said.

“We know what he was doing and where he was going at the time. He was going through the course of his day,” he added.

Sammie Edward, 57, of Bulls Gap, Tennessee, was the driver of the tractor trailer.

A third driver sustained minor damages to their vehicle after striking debris from the wreck, the Highway Patrol reported.

Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. is suing Tina Grimes after she left a microwave running unattended in her Virginia Beach hotel room at Candlewood Suites. It started a fire, and the sprinkler system activated. The hotel’s insurance company now wants Grimes to pay $1.83 million.

She used the microwave in her Virginia Beach hotel room. It could cost her $1.83 million.

By Scott Daugherty
The Virginian-Pilot
May 22, 2017 Updated May 23, 2017

NORFOLK, VA

In 2015, Tina Grimes left a microwave running unattended in her Virginia Beach hotel room, according to court documents. It started a fire, and the sprinkler system activated.

The hotel’s insurance company now wants Grimes to pay $1.83 million.

Attorneys for Grimes and Liberty Mutual Fire Insurance Co. are set to argue the case in front of a jury Oct. 31 in U.S. District Court in Norfolk.

After picking that date Friday, attorneys declined to comment. Grimes, of Pasadena, Md., near Baltimore, could not be reached for comment.

In court documents, Grimes denied the fire was caused in the manner alleged, and further denied any act of negligence or breach of duty on her part.

The lawsuit, filed March 21, stems from Grimes’ May 9, 2015, visit to Virginia Beach. The lawsuit claimed she was staying in Room 718 of the Candlewood Suites at 4437 Bonney Road.

That hotel does not have a Room 718, though. Officials with the Virginia Beach Fire Department said there was a fire that day next door at the Crowne Plaza Hotel at 4453 Bonney Road.

Candlewood Suites staff described the eight-floor Crowne Plaza as a “sister property.”

According to a Fire Department spokesman, the Crowne Plaza fire was reported about 6:15 p.m. on the hotel’s seventh floor and extinguished quickly after a firefighter placed the microwave under one of the building’s sprinkler heads.


Art Kohn Jr. said the origin of the fire was “most likely the microwave oven inside the room,” but he stressed that investigators were never able to determine a cause.

“Nothing other than the plug to the microwave and receptacle in the cabinet housing the microwave suffered heat damage,” Kohn said.

He said the building suffered “severe water damage” on floors one through seven.

The lawsuit claimed Grimes left an “operating microwave oven” unattended in the room for unspecified reasons. It said the microwave was operating for an “indefinite amount of time” before a fire resulted and the hotel’s sprinkler system activated.

Kohn said “partially cooked food” was found in the microwave.

But, he said, a woman staying in the room with three children said she was “100% sure that everything in the room was off” before they left to run errands.

The woman acknowledged that one of the girls had been microwaving lasagna before they left, Kohn said. He added that the room’s electrical panel box had been thrown to the off position.

The insurance company was required to pay the hotel’s owner, Landmark Hotel Group, more than $1.83 million to cover the damages, court documents said. The company now wants Grimes to pay it back.

The lawsuit claimed that Grimes owed the hotel “a duty to refrain from engaging in behavior that would pose a risk of harm to the safety of persons or property.”

Among other things, it alleged she failed to operate the microwave in a “reasonably safe manner.”



=================



Fire starts, is extinguished at Virginia Beach hotel

The Virginian-Pilot
May 9, 2015


VIRGINIA BEACH

The Crowne Plaza Hotel caught fire Saturday night before the blaze was extinguished by the building's fire-suppression system. Nobody was injured.

The fire started on the seventh floor of the eight-story hotel, at 4453 Bonney Road. Firefighters were dispatched at 6:13 and arrived at 6:16 p.m. The cause is under investigation.

The fire department was working with hotel staff to try to determine how many people can remain in their rooms and whether any will have to be moved.

No other information was available.

Propylene leak leads to evacuations in Logan Twp., NJ when a 30,000 gallon SMS Rail Line car was parked and offloading material into trucks when it began leaking propylene from a valve

LOGAN TWP., N.J. (WPVI) -- Hazmat crews were able to secure a valve leaking propylene in Gloucester County that caused evacuations of area businesses and injured two workers.

"Everything looks like it is in pretty decent shape right now," Logan Township Administrator Lyman Barnes said in a Thursday afternoon press conference.

Officials were called around 9:50 a.m. Thursday Center Square Road in Logan Township for the report of the leak.


Barnes says while there was no significant health threat to residents, the primary issue was propylene being a fire hazard.

Atlantic City Electric shut down power to the area as a precaution.

Evacuations were issued for a half-mile radius around the site, sending 1,900 people out of their businesses. There were no residential evacuations.

The 30,000 gallon SMS Rail Line car was parked and offloading material into trucks when it began leaking propylene from a valve, Barnes said.

After a few hours, crews were able to secure the valve. As a precautionary measure, Barnes says a new pipe will be connected with another valve in series with the existing valve as a secondary source of containment in case of another failure.

Two workers were injured in the incident. One worker refused treatment, the other was transported to the hospital and is expected to be OK.

Barnes says crews are monitoring the air quality of the neighborhood and are going to door to door to make sure.

Though the leak has been contained, the evacuation order remains.

By 6 p.m. the Logan Township Police Department said those evacuated were able to access the parking lots of the businesses to retrieve their vehicles, but still should not enter the evacuated buildings.

The incident caused the temporary closure of nearby roads and the I-295 ramp to Exit 10.

An investigation is underway as to why the valve malfunctioned.

Three people including two Philadelphia police officers were injured in a collision in Mayfair.

MAYFAIR, PHILADELPHIA, PA (WPVI) --

Three people including two Philadelphia police officers were injured in a collision in Mayfair.

It happened around 3:30 p.m. Thursday in the southbound lanes of the Roosevelt Boulevard near Levick Street.

Police say two vehicles collided and one then crashed into a police cruiser.

One officer was taken to Aria Health Frankford. The second officer was taken to Aria Health Torresdale campus. They are both stable.

An injured civilian was taken to Aria Health Torresdale campus and is stable.

One of those involved in the collision was taken into custody for suspected impairment.

The investigation continues.

1 dead and 3 injured after a dump truck rear-ends a Jeep in a fiery crash on Interstate 25 in Denver, CO

Tragic Day On I-25: 1 Killed, 3 Hurt In Fiery Crash May 25, 2017 2:22 PM
 


DENVER (CBS4) – One person was killed and three others were hurt on Thursday morning in a fiery crash on Interstate 25.


(credit: Tim Meehan)
ADVERTISING

A dump truck and a Jeep collided while they were heading north at approximately 10:15 a.m. near the intersection with 53rd Avenue.

“It’s unclear at this point who left which lane, but the vehicles did come into contact, then pulled to the right across the shoulder and struck the jersey barrier,” said Denver Police Department traffic investigator Sgt. Mike Farr. “The Jeep as a result of that did climb on top of the jersey barrier.”


(credit: CBS)

Both vehicles burst into flames, and the smoke poured from the scene for several minutes after the crash. A grassy area next to the highway also caught fire.

Workers at a nearby business rushed to the scene and had to scale a fence with barbed wire on it in the process. They pulled the victims out from the burning SUV.


(credit: Tim Meehan)

“As soon as it hit, there was the explosion, and then there were three more after that. And it was intense with fire,” said Michael Coleman, who heard the collision and saw the flames.

The person who died and the three who were hurt were all in the Jeep. The driver of the truck escaped unharmed.

Farr said he thinks the deceased person was in the back seat of the Jeep. He said two of the people who were taken to the hospital were described as being in critical condition.

None of the victims’ names have been released.


(credit: CBS)

Officials closed all of the northbound lanes of the highway for a short time afterwards, and several lanes remained closed at noon. All lanes reopened about 3:40 p.m.

The dump truck was loaded at the time of the crash.

Owen Knutson, 17 killed and his passenger, Hunter Gillett, 18, injured after his Piper J3C-65 Cub plane (owned by his family business Knutson Family Limited Partnership) crashed in the Red Cedar River south of Chetek, Wisconsin.

Owen Knutson, dead in private plane crash.  Knutson had flown out of his family’s private airstrip, south of the crash site

 Hunter Gillett is at #7

 Hunter Gillett, left, injured at the plane crash

  Hunter Gillett, 18, a senior at Cameron

Victims of plane crash, named

  Updated: 3:58 pm, Thu May 25, 2017.



The name has been released of the 17-year-old Chetek-Weyerhaeuser student killed in a plane crash Wednesday evening, May 24.

Owen Knutson, a junior, was killed when the two-seater, Piper single-engine airplane he was piloting crashed into the Red Cedar River.

His passenger, Hunter Gillett, 18, a senior at Cameron, was seriously injured and taken to Eau Claire. He was later airlifted to Rochester, Minn., in serious condition.

Knutson had flown out of his family’s private airstrip, south of the crash site.

Several callers reported the incident around 6:34 p.m., May 24. A caller on the river said they saw the plane fly over them, then heard a crash.

Emergency services converged on the area, including Barron County Sheriff’s Department deputies, Chetek police officers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wardens, Chetek Ambulance Service, Bloomer Ambulance, Chetek Fire Department, Sand Creek Fire Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and LifeLink Helicopter.

The wreckage was located in the river about three miles south of Chetek, east of CTH I and south of Fifth Avenue, according to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, and both Knutson and Gillett were pulled from the water. Knutson was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The BCSD, Barron County Medical Examiner’s Office, National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating. Fitzgerald said those who saw the plane were being interviewed.

“Please keep these families and the students of the Chetek[-Weyerhaeuser] and Cameron school districts in your prayers,” Fitzgerald said.

Chetek-Weyerhaeuser superintendent Mark Johnson said many people were helping students and staff through this difficult time. =======================





CHETEK, Wis. (WEAU) -- One teenager is dead and another is injured after a plane crash near Chetek.


Chetek Fire Chief Ryan Olson tells WEAU 13 News the plane crashed in the Red Cedar River near Chetek Wednesday night.

According to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, one of the teens died. The other was taken to an area hospital.

According to the sheriff, the teens are high school students from the Chetek area.



===========

1 dead, 1 serious after plane crash south of Chetek, Wisconsin

 Updated: 10:29 am, Thu May 25, 2017.

A plane crashed early evening Wednesday, May 24, southwest of Chetek, killing one teen and seriously injuring another teen, according to the Barron County Sheriff's Department.

The teen killed is a Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School junior, confirmed Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald. The injured teen is a Cameron High School senior. Fitzgerald said that subject was transported to Mayo Hospital in Rochester in "very serious" condition.

Names were not being released that evening at this time out of respect for the victims' families.  

Fitzgerald said late May 24, that a single-engine, two-seater plane crashed in the Red Cedar River southwest of Chetek. He said it was between Fourth and Fifth avenues, along 22-1/2 Street. Callers reported seeing a plane go down around 6:30 p.m.

Both victims had been pulled from the wreckage, he said. A boat was securing the plane and the National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration were coming to the scene and to do a crash investigation.

The Chetek Fire Department, Chetek Ambulance Service, Lifelink Helicopter, Barron County Sheriff's Department, Bloomer Ambulance and the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources responded to the crash, Fitzgerald said.

The scene was cleared after 11 p.m., May 24, and roads were open.

Correction: The C-W student was previously reported as a senior. The student is a junior.

=================
Knutson Family Limited Partnership: http://registry.faa.gov/N35132

Aircraft crashed under unknown circumstances.  There were two (2) souls on board.  One (1)  was fatally injured. One (1) sustained serious injuries.  

Date: 24-MAY-17
Time: 05:00:00Z
Regis#: N35132
Aircraft Make: PIPER
Aircraft Model: J3C
Event Type: ACCIDENT
Highest Injury: FATAL
Aircraft Missing: No
Damage: UNKNOWN
Activity: UNKNOWN
Flight Phase: UNKNOWN (UNK)
City: CHETEK
State: WISCONSIN

Those who may have information that might be relevant to the National Transportation Safety Board investigation may contact them by email eyewitnessreport@ntsb.gov, and any friends and family who want to contact investigators about the accident should email assistance@ntsb.gov. 

17-Year-old Owen Knutson flying on April 1st

Authorities have identified the two teens involved in a deadly plane crash Wednesday evening in Chetek, Wisconsin.

According to the Barron County Sheriff's Office, authorities received calls about the crash starting at about 6:30 p.m. Authorities found wreckage from the crash in the Red Cedar River, about 3 miles south of Chetek.

Two teens were pulled from the water, according to authorities.

Eighteen-year-old Hunter Gillett, of Cameron, was taken to a hospital in Eau Claire and later airlifted to Rochester, where he is listed as being in serious condition.

Seventeen-year-old Owen Knutson, of Chetek, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Authorities said Knutson was piloting the two-seater fixed wing single-engine plane. Authorities said the plane took off from a private air strip south of Chetek. A search revealed the plane was registered in the Knutson family name.

The Barron County Sheriff's Office, the Chetek police and fire departments, the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, the Chetek and Bloomer ambulances, the Sand Creek Fire Department, the Wisconsin State Patrol and Life Link Helicopter assisted at the scene.

The Barron County Medical Examiner's Office, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board continue to investigate.

Story, photo gallery and video:  http://kstp.com

Owen Knutson

The name has been released of the 17-year-old Chetek-Weyerhaeuser student killed in a plane crash Wednesday evening, May 24.

Owen Knutson, a junior, was killed when the two-seater, Piper single-engine airplane he was piloting crashed into the Red Cedar River. 

His passenger, Hunter Gillett, 18, a senior at Cameron, was seriously injured and taken to Eau Claire. He was later airlifted to Rochester, Minn., in serious condition.

Knutson had flown out of his family’s private airstrip, south of the crash site.

Several callers reported the incident around 6:34 p.m., May 24. A caller on the river said they saw the plane fly over them, then heard a crash. 

Emergency services converged on the area, including Barron County Sheriff’s Department deputies, Chetek police officers, Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources wardens, Chetek Ambulance Service, Bloomer Ambulance, Chetek Fire Department, Sand Creek Fire Department, Wisconsin State Patrol and LifeLink Helicopter.

The wreckage was located in the river about three miles south of Chetek, east of CTH I and south of Fifth Avenue, according to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald, and both Knutson and Gillett were pulled from the water. Knutson was pronounced deceased at the scene.

The BCSD, Barron County Medical Examiner’s Office, National Transportation Safety Board and Federal Aviation Administration are investigating.

“Please keep these families and the students of the Chetek[-Weyerhaeuser] and Cameron school districts in your prayers,” Fitzgerald said.

Chetek-Weyerhaeuser superintendent Mark Johnson said many people were helping students and staff through this difficult time.

Original article can be found here:  http://www.chetekalert.com

===============





Date: 24-MAY-2017
Time: 18:30
Type:
Piper J3C-65 Cub
Owner/operator: Private
Registration: N35132
C/n / msn: 6144
Fatalities: Fatalities: 1 / Occupants: 2
Other fatalities: 0
Airplane damage: Unknown
Location: Red Cedar River, Barron County south of Chetek, WI - United States of America
Phase: En route
Nature: Private
Departure airport:

Destination airport:

Narrative:
The plane crashed under unknown circumstances south of Chetek, Wisconsin. One occupant died, another was seriously injured.

Sources:
http://www.weau.com/content/news/one-teen-killed-another-injured-in-plane-crash-near-Chetek-424210414.html
http://www.apg-wi.com/rice_lake_chronotype/paywall/small-plane-crashes-south-of-chetek-one-teen-dead-another/article_58c7b6ba-414e-11e7-957b-13edc4775fea.html
http://www.chetekalert.com/news/article_c2fc9f18-40ff-11e7-878c-bbefcc9cf009.html
https://www.google.com/maps/place/Chetek,+WI+54728/@45.2689637,-91.707647,17z/data=!4m2!3m1!1s0x52ace9ad85e81ecd:0xe269cac48d37c785?hl=en-us
http://www.asias.faa.gov/pls/apex/f?p=100:95:6253958390889::NO::P95_EVENT_LCL_DATE,P95_LOC_CITY_NAME,P95_REGIST_NBR:24-MAY-17,CHETEK,N35132
http://registry.faa.gov/aircraftinquiry/NNum_Results.aspx?NNumbertxt=N35132

==================

Hunter Gillett ‘17 Recruiting Profile

• Cameron High School
• Cameron, WI
• Football

Height:

5'11"

Weight:

175

Age:

18

Prim. Position:

CB

Sec. Position:

WR

40 Yard Dash

4.7

Bench Press

195

  Senior Year as QB

Personal Statement

I was a leader on my football team my Junior and Senior Year. For team awards I won "Comet Pride" player of the year which means I demonstrated the most leadership on my team. I was voted by my team as the most valuable player to the team. I am willing to work hard in the classroom and on the field. Look forward to hearing from you. 
-Hunter Gillett

=====================

Teen pilot killed, passenger hurt in Wisconsin plane crash

Milwaukee Published 1:12 p.m. CT May 25, 2017 | Updated 1:29 p.m. CT May 25, 2017



(Photo: Pam Powers, Associated Press)


A teenage pilot was killed and his passenger was seriously injured when a single-engine plane crashed into a river near a small northwestern Wisconsin community still recovering from last week’s deadly and destructive tornado.

Owen Knutson, 17, died at the scene of the crash Wednesday evening, according to Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald.

Passenger Hunter Gillett, 18, just days away from graduating from high school, was injured when the Piper aircraft crashed into the Red Cedar River about 3 miles south of Chetek, sheriff’s officials said.

Fitzgerald said it was difficult for first responders to locate and reach the crash site.

“It’s a rural setting. There’s no easy access to get to it. We walked a long way to get to the scene,” he said. The boys were found in the river, in waist-deep water, according to the sheriff.


Divers with a towing service pull a plane that crashed into the Red Cedar River in Barron County Sheriff's officials say one teenager died and another was critically injured in the crash. (Photo: Pam Powers, Associated Press)

Knutson had taken off from a private airstrip on his family’s property near Chetek when several people called the sheriff’s department after seeing the plane go down. The teen, a junior at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School, was pronounced dead at the scene.

Gillett was taken to a hospital in Eau Claire then airlifted to Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, where he was in serious condition, according to a hospital spokeswoman.

Gillett is a standout student-athlete at nearby Cameron High School where he was to graduate on Friday, school district administrator Joe Leschisin said.

“He’s a hard-working, respectful young man,” Leschisin said of Gillett, who plans to attend the University of Wisconsin-Stout.

The plane crash happened about 7 miles from the site of a tornado touchdown May 16 that killed one man, injured about two dozen others and caused about $10 million in damage.

“It’s an extremely tough time for everyone,” Fitzgerald said. “We need your thoughts and prayers.”

 

====================

UPDATE: Survivor of deadly Barron Co. plane crash listed in serious condition

 


Teens in Plane Crash Identified (5/25/17)
 


Teens Identified in Plane Crash (5/25/17)


By Noelle Anderson, Andrew Fefer |
Posted: Thu 9:50 AM, May 25, 2017 |
Updated: Thu 7:31 PM, May 25, 2017


ROCHESTER, Minn. (WEAU) -- A spokesperson from Mayo Clinic Hospital - St. Mary's Campus in Rochester, Minnesota said late Thursday that Gillett is now listed in serious condition, which is an upgrade.



BARRON, Wis. (WEAU) -- The condition of the survivor in a deadly plane crash is reportedly improving.

Thursday afternoon, Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said that Hunter Gillett, 18, of Cameron was in critical condition. In a Thursday morning statement, the Barron County Sheriff's Office had listed Gillett in serious condition. Gillett was injured in the Wednesday evening plane crash near Chetek that killed Owen Knutson, 17, of Chetek. Gillett is expected to graduate from Cameron High School on Saturday. He was taken to a hospital in Rochester, MN, where he was receiving treatment at last report.

"A lot of our first responders knew the family," Fitzgerald said. "That's what makes this one...again, the tornado, we knew them, they were our friends...but there's something with kids."

"Usually, I'm not at a loss for words," he said.

Knutson was the pilot of the plane that went into the Red Cedar River, south of Chetek, on Wednesday. Crews pulled the two victims from the river Wednesday evening. They recovered the wreckage Thursday morning, and are keeping it in an airport hangar in Rice Lake.

The National Transportation Safety Board is one of many agencies investigating the cause of the crash.

"We look at two areas, man machine, and environment and this is the machine aspect of it, we'll be looking at the airframe to see if there are any anomalies that could have caused or contributed to this particular accident. We'll look into the pilots background, to see how long he had been flying, what his level of experience was," says Jennifer, Rodi, Senior Air Safety Investigator with NTSB.

"All four corners of the aircraft arrived on scene so it does not look like we have an in flight structural failure of the aircraft," says Rodi.

The sheriff says no Memorial Day or graduation plans are expected to change pending the investigation.

The NTSB should have their full preliminary report filed after the holiday.

BARRON, Wis. (WEAU) -- Investigators have identified the teenagers involved in a deadly plane crash Wednesday evening.

In a statement released Thursday morning, the Barron County Sheriff's Department said Owen Knutson, 17, of Chetek was pronounced dead at the scene of the crash. The statement said that Hunter Gillett, 18, of Cameron is in serious condition in a Rochester, MN hospital. Barron County Sheriff Chris Fitzgerald said that Knutson was a student at Chetek-Weyerhaeuser High School and Gillett is a student at Cameron High School.

Crews responded to the Red Cedar River south of Chetek on several reports of a plane crash around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday. They found the wreckage in the river three miles south of Chetek. Knutson and Gillett were pulled from the water. The sheriff's department said Knutson was the pilot of the two-seater Piper Fixed Wing single engine plane. They had taken off from a private air strip on a property Knutson's family owns south of Chetek. Fitzgerald did not know where the teenagers were headed.

The statement did not elaborate on what else may have led up to the crash or what caused it, and Fitzgerald told WEAU 13 News that he did not know those details. The statement said the sheriff's department along with the Barron County Medical Examiner’s Office, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating at the scene. It also asked the community to "keep these families and the students of the Chetek and Cameron School districts in your prayers."


BARRON, Wis. (BARRON COUNTY SHERIFF'S DEPARTMENT NEWS RELEASE) -- On Wednesday May 24, 2017 at 6:34pm the Barron County Sheriff’s Department received several calls of a plane crash south of Chetek.

Deputies from the Barron County Sheriff’s Department along with the Chetek Police Department, WI DNR, Chetek Ambulance, Bloomer Ambulance, Chetek Fire Department, Sand Creek Fire Department, WI State Patrol and Life Link Helicopter responded to the scene.

The plane wreckage was located in the Red Cedar River south of Chetek about 3 miles. Two subjects were pulled from the water. Hunter Gillett, 18 of Cameron was taken by Bloomer Ambulance to an Eau Claire Hospital and later flown to Rochester where he is in serious condition. Owen Knutson, 17 of Chetek was pronounced deceased at the scene.

Knutson was the pilot of the 2 seater Piper Fixed Wing single engine plane and took off from a private air strip on the Knutson Property south of Chetek.

The Barron County Sheriff’s Department along with the Barron County Medical Examiner’s Office, the FAA and the NTSB are all on scene handling the investigation.

Please keep these families and the students of the Chetek and Cameron School districts in your prayers.

No media will be allowed on any school district property.