Church mourns longtime pastor who died days after plane’s landing gear strikes vehicle
An Indiana church is mourning its longtime pastor, Leon Hatchett, 88, who died four days after a small plane struck the car he was in near Boonville Airport.
Leaders at Wayside Chapel Church in Warrick County said they were heartbroken by the loss of Hatchett, who had been with the congregation for more than 40 years and had served the community for just as long, according to WFIE.
Associate Pastor Jacob Conner said members were still in shock.
“We were stunned like anybody else was. We were stunned and we were heartbroken,” Conner was quoted as saying. He added that losing Hatchett, whom he called a “faithful, full-time 88-year-old man of God,” had been hard to accept.
Boonville police said the plane was heading west down the runway for takeoff and collided with a car on Baker Road. The impact knocked the landing gear off the aircraft. However, the National Transportation Safety Board’s preliminary report says the Piper Cub collided with the vehicle during an attempted go-around, according to AvBrief.
Hatchett was inside the car and died Thursday of the injuries he suffered.
Emergency crews went to the scene on Oct. 18 after reports came in of a plane striking a car, with an elderly man hurt, according to 14 News. The pilot was not injured, and the plane later returned and landed safely at Boonville Airport.
The plane later returned and landed safely at Boonville Airport.
Hatchett died Thursday at Deaconess Midtown Hospital from his injuries, the Vanderburgh County coroner said. Police said the crash remains under investigation, according to WNIN.
Hatchett owned a bar in town “before he gave his life to the Lord,” Conner was quoted as saying. He also had a car dealership and a bake shop, and the businesses kept him in daily contact with people in the community.
Conner said Hatchett made extra efforts to help the church do well. At age 63, the pastor ran a marathon from Interstate 69 to the church building and raised $10,000.
Hatchett picked up the phone whenever the church called on him, Conner said. He also mentored Conner, who said Hatchett “would sit and disciple me and cheer me on.”
He said relatives want peace and expect to go through a period of healing, and that they're putting their trust in God.
Pastor Hatchett was born May 28, 1938, to Elwood Glen and Mildred Louise Hatchett, according to an obituary posted by Titzer Family Funeral Homes, the funeral home handling his service.
He graduated in 1957 from Chandler High School and served in the U.S. Army reserves.
He and his wife, Joyce, were married for 52 years. She died before him, as did his parents, his three sisters, Carole Martin, Gayle Vaughn and Nansi Hatchett, and his brother, David L. Hatchett.
The obituary said Hatchett devoted himself to God, to his church and to many Warrick County families.
He played basketball all his life and liked fishing and often told stories about his most recent catch. His greatest passion was sharing his faith, it said.
He is survived by two daughters, Scarlett Meier and Tina Scott, along with three grandchildren and three great-grandchildren.
A funeral service will take place at 1 p.m. Tuesday at the funeral home’s Simpson Chapel at 510 W. Jennings St. in Newburgh, Indiana.
