Steve is the son of William Lampe and has two sisters, Linda Ingram of Abilene and Sally Boyd of Austin,TX.
On Jan. 27, 1984, pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger
Lary Len Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo, departed Tradewind Airport in Amarillo at 1:30 p.m. for a scheduled two-hour flight, according to NTSB documents, and their plane parished in Lake Merideth. The landing gear was found in the lake on January 28, 1984 and days later Steve Lampe's suede jacket was retrieved from the lake. He loved flying and he loved taking a friend with him. He was a student, and doing well, at WTSU. He was employed at N.S. Griggs and Sons Funeral Directors as the evening attendant. His Mom, Jimma, passed away about 2 years ago, probably still wondering if the plane would ever be found. His Dad, Bill, and he had two older sisters. Steve was the ultimate bachelor - he enjoyed life and enjoyed a variety of people, was equally comfortable in someone's back yard drinking beer, or at the Amarillo Club sipping a Martini. It's a very safe assumption that everyone who knew him really liked him. This is a word from his friend Steve who emailed me upon the news of the discovery of the plane.
UPDATE:
We found you! Now you can truly be laid to rest.
Canoeists on Friday May 30, 2008 discovered the plane's wings and tail protruding from shallow water caused by receding lake levels. The National Park Service began working to retrieve the remains of two passengers who were in a plane missing for more than 24 years. Park rangers began an intensive procedure early this morning in order to access the cockpit of the Beech 77 aircraft which is submerged upside down in a sandbar covered by water of 2 to 4 feet of water. 24 years of sand had to be pumped from the cockpit. The plane was reported missing in January of 1984, and was finally found on Friday when a family out canoeing on the lake came across the decades old wreckage. To date no remains have been found.
The lake level Friday when the wreckage was found was officially 47.33 feet. In 1984, officials said it was slightly more than 87 feet.
UPDATE:
6/18/2008
New witness cites ice in Meredith plane wreck
Man says pilot landed on frozen lake in 1984
A federal aviation inspector said Tuesday that authorities have found a witness who has provided new details on the plane that crashed into Lake Meredith 24 years ago. National Transportation Safety Board inspector Arnold Scott said Earnest Vanover, 84, told officials last week he saw the Beechcraft 77 landing on the frozen lake just days before the Jan. 27, 1984, crash.
"Like boys will, they were running the plane on the ice," Vanover said of pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger Lary Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo.
On the day of the crash, Vanover, who lives about 2,000 feet from the water, saw the plane fly low over the lake and drop out of sight near Fritch Fortress. As he watched for the plane to fly out of the canyon, Vanover heard an engine roar for several minutes before going silent.
He did not think much about the plane because he heard boats and other engine-powered vehicles on the lake all the time, Vanover told the Globe-News.
A few days later he saw the missing plane on the news and contacted park rangers.
Vanover speculates that the ice was too thin to support the plane and caught its wheel, causing the aircraft to crash in the middle of the lake. He thought floating ice could have carried the wreckage to Harbor Bay.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday verified the icy conditions. Highs were in the single digits on Jan. 17 and 18, 1984. It warmed up for a few days, with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 17 on Jan. 22.
Dwindling water levels in the lake enabled the wreckage to be discovered by canoeists nearly three weeks ago.
The NTSB has concluded its investigation of the plane wreckage, Scott said. There will be no more searches for human remains unless new evidence turns up, Scott said. He said any remains would be buried under mud at the bottom of the lake.
Federal Aviation Administration officials inspected the wreckage last week and found no anomalies. Scott said a five-member NTSB panel will issue a report detailing a likely cause of the wreck.
All the flight controls were in place and nothing broke off the plane prior to impact, according to the FAA. Inspectors found the flaps were in "full down" position, but Scott declined to comment on the significance of such a position.
Local pilot Bill Hodges, who has flown for 60 years, said the flap position meant the pilot was attempting to land in the water.
Based on photos of the wreckage recently published in the Globe-News, Hodges believes the single propeller blade bent backward and there was no power in the engine when it hit.
The wreckage remains in storage at the Hutchinson County Airport in Borger until the Global Aerospace insurance company of Dallas retrieves it.
"It's their property now," Scott said. "In this case, they'll probably sell it for scrap metal."
On Jan. 27, 1984, pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger
Lary Len Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo, departed Tradewind Airport in Amarillo at 1:30 p.m. for a scheduled two-hour flight, according to NTSB documents, and their plane parished in Lake Merideth. The landing gear was found in the lake on January 28, 1984 and days later Steve Lampe's suede jacket was retrieved from the lake. He loved flying and he loved taking a friend with him. He was a student, and doing well, at WTSU. He was employed at N.S. Griggs and Sons Funeral Directors as the evening attendant. His Mom, Jimma, passed away about 2 years ago, probably still wondering if the plane would ever be found. His Dad, Bill, and he had two older sisters. Steve was the ultimate bachelor - he enjoyed life and enjoyed a variety of people, was equally comfortable in someone's back yard drinking beer, or at the Amarillo Club sipping a Martini. It's a very safe assumption that everyone who knew him really liked him. This is a word from his friend Steve who emailed me upon the news of the discovery of the plane.
UPDATE:
We found you! Now you can truly be laid to rest.
Canoeists on Friday May 30, 2008 discovered the plane's wings and tail protruding from shallow water caused by receding lake levels. The National Park Service began working to retrieve the remains of two passengers who were in a plane missing for more than 24 years. Park rangers began an intensive procedure early this morning in order to access the cockpit of the Beech 77 aircraft which is submerged upside down in a sandbar covered by water of 2 to 4 feet of water. 24 years of sand had to be pumped from the cockpit. The plane was reported missing in January of 1984, and was finally found on Friday when a family out canoeing on the lake came across the decades old wreckage. To date no remains have been found.
The lake level Friday when the wreckage was found was officially 47.33 feet. In 1984, officials said it was slightly more than 87 feet.
UPDATE:
6/18/2008
New witness cites ice in Meredith plane wreck
Man says pilot landed on frozen lake in 1984
A federal aviation inspector said Tuesday that authorities have found a witness who has provided new details on the plane that crashed into Lake Meredith 24 years ago. National Transportation Safety Board inspector Arnold Scott said Earnest Vanover, 84, told officials last week he saw the Beechcraft 77 landing on the frozen lake just days before the Jan. 27, 1984, crash.
"Like boys will, they were running the plane on the ice," Vanover said of pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger Lary Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo.
On the day of the crash, Vanover, who lives about 2,000 feet from the water, saw the plane fly low over the lake and drop out of sight near Fritch Fortress. As he watched for the plane to fly out of the canyon, Vanover heard an engine roar for several minutes before going silent.
He did not think much about the plane because he heard boats and other engine-powered vehicles on the lake all the time, Vanover told the Globe-News.
A few days later he saw the missing plane on the news and contacted park rangers.
Vanover speculates that the ice was too thin to support the plane and caught its wheel, causing the aircraft to crash in the middle of the lake. He thought floating ice could have carried the wreckage to Harbor Bay.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday verified the icy conditions. Highs were in the single digits on Jan. 17 and 18, 1984. It warmed up for a few days, with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 17 on Jan. 22.
Dwindling water levels in the lake enabled the wreckage to be discovered by canoeists nearly three weeks ago.
The NTSB has concluded its investigation of the plane wreckage, Scott said. There will be no more searches for human remains unless new evidence turns up, Scott said. He said any remains would be buried under mud at the bottom of the lake.
Federal Aviation Administration officials inspected the wreckage last week and found no anomalies. Scott said a five-member NTSB panel will issue a report detailing a likely cause of the wreck.
All the flight controls were in place and nothing broke off the plane prior to impact, according to the FAA. Inspectors found the flaps were in "full down" position, but Scott declined to comment on the significance of such a position.
Local pilot Bill Hodges, who has flown for 60 years, said the flap position meant the pilot was attempting to land in the water.
Based on photos of the wreckage recently published in the Globe-News, Hodges believes the single propeller blade bent backward and there was no power in the engine when it hit.
The wreckage remains in storage at the Hutchinson County Airport in Borger until the Global Aerospace insurance company of Dallas retrieves it.
"It's their property now," Scott said. "In this case, they'll probably sell it for scrap metal."
Steve is the son of William Lampe and has two sisters, Linda Ingram of Abilene and Sally Boyd of Austin,TX.
On Jan. 27, 1984, pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger
Lary Len Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo, departed Tradewind Airport in Amarillo at 1:30 p.m. for a scheduled two-hour flight, according to NTSB documents, and their plane parished in Lake Merideth. The landing gear was found in the lake on January 28, 1984 and days later Steve Lampe's suede jacket was retrieved from the lake. He loved flying and he loved taking a friend with him. He was a student, and doing well, at WTSU. He was employed at N.S. Griggs and Sons Funeral Directors as the evening attendant. His Mom, Jimma, passed away about 2 years ago, probably still wondering if the plane would ever be found. His Dad, Bill, and he had two older sisters. Steve was the ultimate bachelor - he enjoyed life and enjoyed a variety of people, was equally comfortable in someone's back yard drinking beer, or at the Amarillo Club sipping a Martini. It's a very safe assumption that everyone who knew him really liked him. This is a word from his friend Steve who emailed me upon the news of the discovery of the plane.
UPDATE:
We found you! Now you can truly be laid to rest.
Canoeists on Friday May 30, 2008 discovered the plane's wings and tail protruding from shallow water caused by receding lake levels. The National Park Service began working to retrieve the remains of two passengers who were in a plane missing for more than 24 years. Park rangers began an intensive procedure early this morning in order to access the cockpit of the Beech 77 aircraft which is submerged upside down in a sandbar covered by water of 2 to 4 feet of water. 24 years of sand had to be pumped from the cockpit. The plane was reported missing in January of 1984, and was finally found on Friday when a family out canoeing on the lake came across the decades old wreckage. To date no remains have been found.
The lake level Friday when the wreckage was found was officially 47.33 feet. In 1984, officials said it was slightly more than 87 feet.
UPDATE:
6/18/2008
New witness cites ice in Meredith plane wreck
Man says pilot landed on frozen lake in 1984
A federal aviation inspector said Tuesday that authorities have found a witness who has provided new details on the plane that crashed into Lake Meredith 24 years ago. National Transportation Safety Board inspector Arnold Scott said Earnest Vanover, 84, told officials last week he saw the Beechcraft 77 landing on the frozen lake just days before the Jan. 27, 1984, crash.
"Like boys will, they were running the plane on the ice," Vanover said of pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger Lary Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo.
On the day of the crash, Vanover, who lives about 2,000 feet from the water, saw the plane fly low over the lake and drop out of sight near Fritch Fortress. As he watched for the plane to fly out of the canyon, Vanover heard an engine roar for several minutes before going silent.
He did not think much about the plane because he heard boats and other engine-powered vehicles on the lake all the time, Vanover told the Globe-News.
A few days later he saw the missing plane on the news and contacted park rangers.
Vanover speculates that the ice was too thin to support the plane and caught its wheel, causing the aircraft to crash in the middle of the lake. He thought floating ice could have carried the wreckage to Harbor Bay.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday verified the icy conditions. Highs were in the single digits on Jan. 17 and 18, 1984. It warmed up for a few days, with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 17 on Jan. 22.
Dwindling water levels in the lake enabled the wreckage to be discovered by canoeists nearly three weeks ago.
The NTSB has concluded its investigation of the plane wreckage, Scott said. There will be no more searches for human remains unless new evidence turns up, Scott said. He said any remains would be buried under mud at the bottom of the lake.
Federal Aviation Administration officials inspected the wreckage last week and found no anomalies. Scott said a five-member NTSB panel will issue a report detailing a likely cause of the wreck.
All the flight controls were in place and nothing broke off the plane prior to impact, according to the FAA. Inspectors found the flaps were in "full down" position, but Scott declined to comment on the significance of such a position.
Local pilot Bill Hodges, who has flown for 60 years, said the flap position meant the pilot was attempting to land in the water.
Based on photos of the wreckage recently published in the Globe-News, Hodges believes the single propeller blade bent backward and there was no power in the engine when it hit.
The wreckage remains in storage at the Hutchinson County Airport in Borger until the Global Aerospace insurance company of Dallas retrieves it.
"It's their property now," Scott said. "In this case, they'll probably sell it for scrap metal."
On Jan. 27, 1984, pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger
Lary Len Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo, departed Tradewind Airport in Amarillo at 1:30 p.m. for a scheduled two-hour flight, according to NTSB documents, and their plane parished in Lake Merideth. The landing gear was found in the lake on January 28, 1984 and days later Steve Lampe's suede jacket was retrieved from the lake. He loved flying and he loved taking a friend with him. He was a student, and doing well, at WTSU. He was employed at N.S. Griggs and Sons Funeral Directors as the evening attendant. His Mom, Jimma, passed away about 2 years ago, probably still wondering if the plane would ever be found. His Dad, Bill, and he had two older sisters. Steve was the ultimate bachelor - he enjoyed life and enjoyed a variety of people, was equally comfortable in someone's back yard drinking beer, or at the Amarillo Club sipping a Martini. It's a very safe assumption that everyone who knew him really liked him. This is a word from his friend Steve who emailed me upon the news of the discovery of the plane.
UPDATE:
We found you! Now you can truly be laid to rest.
Canoeists on Friday May 30, 2008 discovered the plane's wings and tail protruding from shallow water caused by receding lake levels. The National Park Service began working to retrieve the remains of two passengers who were in a plane missing for more than 24 years. Park rangers began an intensive procedure early this morning in order to access the cockpit of the Beech 77 aircraft which is submerged upside down in a sandbar covered by water of 2 to 4 feet of water. 24 years of sand had to be pumped from the cockpit. The plane was reported missing in January of 1984, and was finally found on Friday when a family out canoeing on the lake came across the decades old wreckage. To date no remains have been found.
The lake level Friday when the wreckage was found was officially 47.33 feet. In 1984, officials said it was slightly more than 87 feet.
UPDATE:
6/18/2008
New witness cites ice in Meredith plane wreck
Man says pilot landed on frozen lake in 1984
A federal aviation inspector said Tuesday that authorities have found a witness who has provided new details on the plane that crashed into Lake Meredith 24 years ago. National Transportation Safety Board inspector Arnold Scott said Earnest Vanover, 84, told officials last week he saw the Beechcraft 77 landing on the frozen lake just days before the Jan. 27, 1984, crash.
"Like boys will, they were running the plane on the ice," Vanover said of pilot Steven Lampe, 25, and passenger Lary Lucas, 23, both of Amarillo.
On the day of the crash, Vanover, who lives about 2,000 feet from the water, saw the plane fly low over the lake and drop out of sight near Fritch Fortress. As he watched for the plane to fly out of the canyon, Vanover heard an engine roar for several minutes before going silent.
He did not think much about the plane because he heard boats and other engine-powered vehicles on the lake all the time, Vanover told the Globe-News.
A few days later he saw the missing plane on the news and contacted park rangers.
Vanover speculates that the ice was too thin to support the plane and caught its wheel, causing the aircraft to crash in the middle of the lake. He thought floating ice could have carried the wreckage to Harbor Bay.
The National Weather Service on Tuesday verified the icy conditions. Highs were in the single digits on Jan. 17 and 18, 1984. It warmed up for a few days, with a high of 39 degrees and a low of 17 on Jan. 22.
Dwindling water levels in the lake enabled the wreckage to be discovered by canoeists nearly three weeks ago.
The NTSB has concluded its investigation of the plane wreckage, Scott said. There will be no more searches for human remains unless new evidence turns up, Scott said. He said any remains would be buried under mud at the bottom of the lake.
Federal Aviation Administration officials inspected the wreckage last week and found no anomalies. Scott said a five-member NTSB panel will issue a report detailing a likely cause of the wreck.
All the flight controls were in place and nothing broke off the plane prior to impact, according to the FAA. Inspectors found the flaps were in "full down" position, but Scott declined to comment on the significance of such a position.
Local pilot Bill Hodges, who has flown for 60 years, said the flap position meant the pilot was attempting to land in the water.
Based on photos of the wreckage recently published in the Globe-News, Hodges believes the single propeller blade bent backward and there was no power in the engine when it hit.
The wreckage remains in storage at the Hutchinson County Airport in Borger until the Global Aerospace insurance company of Dallas retrieves it.
"It's their property now," Scott said. "In this case, they'll probably sell it for scrap metal."
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Explore more
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
