Mid-air collision kills 62-year-old Missouri man

Photo courtesy: The McAlester Capitol-Democrat McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- A collision between two small planes over McAlester's airport Wednesday morning sent one aircraft

Wednesday, February 16th 2000, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

Photo courtesy: The McAlester Capitol-Democrat

McALESTER, Okla. (AP) -- A collision between two small planes over McAlester's airport Wednesday morning sent one aircraft plunging to the ground, killing the pilot. One plane was descending for a landing at McAlester Regional Airport and the other had just taken off when the two collided at 1,000 feet, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman John Clabes said.

The pilot in the second plane managed to make a safe landing and escaped injury, he said. There were no passengers in either plane. The Oklahoma Highway Patrol identified the victim as Lee Kahanek, 62, of Neosho, Mo. The other pilot was identified as Michael D. Bates, 33, of McAlester.

Clabes said the accident happened shortly before 8 a.m., about 2 miles southwest of McAlester. The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board planned an investigation.

The collision sheared a wing from the approaching plane, a Cessna 182, and it crashed, Clabes said. The other plane, a Martinaire 633, incurred wing damage but managed to return to the airport. "One came up under the other," he said. City Manager Randy Green said witnesses reported seeing one plane explode after the collision. He also said four bird dogs and a shotgun were found in the wreckage.

The airport is the home of an automated flight service station, which provides weather information to pilots. But Clabes said the station does not monitor takeoffs and landings at the airport.