Plane flips at airport, injuring Jack Mehner and Lowell Peterson

Jack Mehner and Lowell Peterson were hospitalized Tuesday when a plane they were flying flipped at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Jack Mehner

The private aircraft carrying the two men flipped at 11 a.m., according to a statement issued by Cape Girardeau public-information manager Nicolette Brennan. The airport is a city property.

Lowell Peterson

The two passengers sustained serious injuries in the crash and were transported to Saint Francis Medical Center, according to a news release.

Saint Francis Medical Center communications coordinator Sarah Shanahan said Tuesday afternoon Peterson was listed in critical condition and Mehner was listed in serious condition.

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of an overturned airplane Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Cape Girardeau Police Department public-information officer Rick Schmidt confirmed Peterson and Mehner were the only �two souls on board� the plane at the time of the crash.

He said the cause of the crash had not been identified, but authorities are investigating.

No other aircraft were involved in the crash, and the emergency is not expected to affect other scheduled flights, according to the statement from city officials.

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of an overturned airplane Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

Authorities have not said who was piloting the plane when it crashed, but both Mehner and Peterson are longtime pilots and members of the Cape Girardeau Pilots� Club, according to Southeast Missourian archives. Last year, the FAA designated Mehner a �Master Pilot� for having exhibited flying skill for the past 50 years. He told the Southeast Missourian in an article recognizing his achievement he and Peterson often enjoyed flying an airplane they had built together in Peterson�s garage, among other planes.

It is unclear whether the plane the two men built together was the one they were flying at the time of the crash.

Reached by phone Tuesday, airport authorities confirmed the incident took place, but declined to offer further comment.

Emergency personnel respond to the scene of an overturned airplane Tuesday, Oct. 9, 2018, at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport. Ben Matthews ~ Southeast Missourian

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