News
Bottineau family experiences plane crash
Scott Wagar
12/10/2013
Over the Thanksgiving weekend, three Bottineau residents were involved in a serious airplane crash in Towner County. There were no fatalities in the accident, but the individuals were sent to medical facilities for a variety of injures sustained in the crash.
Steve Scheflo, Dianne Scheflo and Robert Abrahamson were abroad in a Piper Archer II aircraft on Saturday, Nov. 30, on their way home to Bottineau after they spent Thanksgiving in International Falls, Minn., with family. As they traveled back to Bottineau the plane iced over and crashed in Towner County approximately six miles northeast of Rock Lake.
A dispatcher in Devils Lake received a 911 call from Steve Scheflo, who was the pilot of the aircraft, at around 8:47 p.m. and the Towner County Sheriff’s Department, Rock Lake Fire Department and Rock Lake Ambulance were dispatched to the scene.
The three individuals were transported by ambulance to Rolla. The Rolla Ambulance Service was also dispatched to assist in the downed aircraft and met the Rock Lake Ambulance crew on the road and helped transport the individuals to the Rolla hospital.
Steve Scheflo was admitted to the Rolla hospital, while Dianne Scheflo and Abrahamson were transported to Trinity in Minot. Steve Scheflo, who wasn’t injured in the crash, was placed in observation overnight and was released the next day.
Abrahamson, who sat in the co-pilot seat when the plane crashed, broke some of his ribs.
Dianne Scheflo, who was seated in the back passenger seat of the plane, injured her pelvis, ribs and face and was admitted to Trinity’s ICU.
When the rescue teams came to the site, it was dark with fog and flurries. With poor weather conditions and darkness, the investigation of the crash site was called off for the evening.
The next afternoon, Vaughn Klier, sheriff of Towner County, and JR Vigdal, aviation safety inspector of the Federal Aviation Administration’s Flight Standards District Office, investigated the site. In the 911 report from Towner County, it stated that Steve Scheflo flight plan was from International Falls to Bottineau, but he changed his flight plan to land in Rolla because of poor weather conditions.
While attempting to make the Rolla Airport, the plane lost lift from ice and began to descend where it crashed in a grassy field with cattails, surrounded by brushes and trees.
As the plane lost elevation, it came down on the east end of the field where the airplane lost it wings.
“The wings of the aircraft were found on the eastern edge of the grass field,” the 911 report stated. “It appears that the wings were separated from the fuselage of the aircraft when it made contact with some small trees.”
The fuselage of the Piper continued down the field a few hundred feet before coming to rest in a cattail slough.
“The plane approached the ground at a low angle, allowing the aircraft to glide further on the ground,” the 911 report stated. “If the aircraft approached the ground at a steep angle it would not have slid on the ground, but come to an abrupt stop.”
As the plane hit the ground, the engine was still in operation. Fortunately, the aircraft did not catch fire and Steve Scheflo was able to crawl out of the plane and call for emergency assistance.
Federal Aviation Administration and the North Dakota Highway Patrol has taken over the investigation.
Dianne Scheflo has had a number of surgeries this past week, and Trinity is preparing to move her to its rehab department.