A Sea Of Red

plane crash coming home from NCAA tourney

very sad

reportedly 7 killed



http://www.cnn.com/2015/04/07/us/basket ... ane-crash/

Illinois State coach among 7 dead in plane crash on way home from Final 4

Seven people -- including Illinois State University associate men's basketball coach Torrey Ward and deputy athletic director Aaron Leetch -- died when their small plane crashed while heading back from the NCAA tournament final.

The aircraft went down overnight Monday about 2 miles east of the Central Illinois Regional Airport in Bloomington, McLean County Sheriff's Office Sgt. Bill Tate said.

That's about 5 miles from the campus of Illinois State, where Ward and Leetch both worked. It was not immediately known who else was on the aircraft, which the National Transportation Safety Board tweeted was a Cessna 414.

more info in the Tribune

http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/loca ... tml#page=1

Scott Bittner, 42, was at the company he runs with his father when he got a call from Terry Stralow, 64, the owner of a popular pub near the campus of Illinois State University. Stralow had an extra ticket and wanted to know if Bittner wanted to come along...

Besides Bittner and Stralow, the victims were identified as Aaron Leetch, 37, ISU deputy director of athletics for external operations, and Torrey Ward, 36, associate head coach of the Redbirds men’s basketball team; Thomas Hileman, 51, the pilot; Andy Butler, 40, a regional representative for Sprint; and Woodrow "Jason" Jones, 45, a senior vice president/investment officer with Secord-Jones Wealth Management Group.

Deputy athletic director Aaron Leetch was an alumnus of Tennessee Temple University.

Wow! I didn't see that coming, CJ.