President's Perspective: The Integrity Plane Crash

Integrity Home Care President Paul Reinert was one of the four company executives that survived a Dec. 12 plane crash near Evangel University. The plane was piloted by interim Vice President Bill Perkin, and Integrity CEO Greg Horton and Director of Hospice Amy Ford also were on board.

Days after returning to the office, Reinert welcomed Springfield Business Journal for a sit-down interview Dec. 17 to share details of his experience. Excerpts follow:

What was your personal experience? Were you in the back?
“It was a six-seater. Bill was the pilot. Greg was sitting in the co-pilot seat next to him. The configuration was there were two seats behind the pilot space in the rear and two facing forward in the back. I was sitting forward facing Amy on the left, and Amy was facing backwards on the right. That’s a typical seating for balance.”

Did you have your seatbelt on?
“Oh, absolutely. I would not be in the condition I’m in had I not. … My understanding is we had come in (with) an approach to the regional airport because Bill wasn’t sure about the ceiling and it was an instrument approach. When we got down below the clouds, it seemed to be very clear, and he requested to go over to the Downtown Airport where we had left from. So, we were coming across the city to land at the Downtown Airport. Evidently, we clipped the Verizon tower at Chestnut and Boonville – somewhere near there. Time flies. We traveled a mile and a half – so says the (Federal Aviation Administration) – between where the tower was and where we crashed. The engine was working for a period of seconds after that, but then it stopped. And when it stopped, it was clear that we were coming down. That’s what I recall. I think we were all quiet. … I personally felt like he was going to do the best to find a place for us. It goes so fast. We were all making peace and praying to ourselves. We’ve all acknowledged that to each other. After the engine stopped, I’m guessing it was no more than 10 or 15 seconds. And I didn’t know what to expect, but I was at peace. I really was not terrified. There was no panic.

“It all goes so fast, but there was a loud rushing noise to me and then a violent rotation. And then we came to rest. Amy was sitting across from me. She looked at me … and came over. I kind of consoled her. The door was open right to my left and she said, ‘I’m going to get out.’ I said, ‘Sure, you go.’ Then, I’m talking to Bill and Greg. And I can see their faces because I could look right through. ‘We’re OK.’ ‘I’m OK. Are you OK, bro?’ ‘Yeah, I’m OK. I can’t move my feet, but I’m OK.’ That’s what I’m hearing, so thank God.”

Greg couldn’t move or Bill?
“Neither of them. Evidently, we hit the ground with some rapid deceleration and the front smooshed back on their feet. So, they’re trapped. I couldn’t have done anything, so I’m thinking to myself, I’ve got to get out of here. Then you think about how it could catch on fire and all that. … What could I do here anyway? So, I got out.

“When I got out there, I was like, ‘Are you OK?’ She was OK. We were both walking. She had a bump on her head, too. It was just the craziest thing. In the back, we were just sheltered. With those guys, their primary injuries were on their lower extremities, except for Bill. Evidently, the impact must have pushed him in a different way because he has some broken bones in the shoulder area and ribs and so forth. Plus, his foot. Both of them have foot problems. I don’t think Greg is going to have to have surgery.

“Then, I realized when I was out there that I didn’t have my phone. … Oh, nuts. I don’t recall if I put it on the seat next to me, which is possible. So, I thought I have gotta get back in there and I went back in the plane. I was fumbling around. It was dark.”

Were you in the grass?
“There was grass, but it wasn’t particularly grassy. There were a bunch of trees. One tree was sliced off. We went right through it. So, I got my phone. Then, I saw Amy’s purse, so I grabbed that, and I grabbed my coat. And I grabbed my briefcase. I thought, I’ll just take some things, and I put them in a pile out there. I don’t know why I did that, but I did.

“I knew the guys were going to be OK, and I didn’t know that there was anything I could do, so I called my wife. That’s an interesting call to make. I had texted her from the air about 10 minutes earlier because Bill told us we probably couldn’t go straight into downtown, so he was going to take a different way around and do an instrument approach to regional. Then, divert if we needed to. … So, I texted her from the air and said we were going to be wrapping around a little bit, and I’ll call you when I get down. And I did. [laughs] That was a tough call to make, but I was safe. I wasn’t physically harmed, so I started by telling her I was OK, and I was on the ground. ‘What do you mean you’re on the ground?’ ‘We’re not at the airport. I’m on the ground. We crashed.’

“Amy called her husband. Obviously, somebody called 911, so it was not long before the first responders were starting to appear. But, before they did, Amy was on the phone with her husband. And I could hear her talking, ‘I don’t know where we are.’ I didn’t know where we either, so I got out my GPS on my phone. We’re right near Evangel college. I think I said [we were on] Central because we were on the back of the lot.”

So you didn’t call 911?
“Amy might have. I didn’t. I think she might have. I heard later there was a couple taking a walk and heard something, so I suspect they might have. But they started to appear right away. That felt good. Then they were coming and coming. ... Thankfully, a couple of the Fire Department people were talking to Bill and Greg. Evidently, the windshields had come off. Maybe they’re meant to do that. They were talking through the windshield, and there was no windshield. Then, an (emergency medical technician) comes up to me and says, ‘Were you a passenger?’ I said, ‘Yes.’ She said, ‘Are you OK?’ I had a little blood coming out of my mouth because I bit my tongue, but that was it. She said, ‘I’m going to take care of you.’ And there were others to take care of the others. She looked me over, and said, ‘I guess you’re OK to go. Do you want to go to the hospital?’ I said, ‘No, I want to check on my guys.’ … By that time, they had to cut them out. … In the pictures you see in the paper it looks like it was flayed open. Well, it was, but that’s what they had to do to get those guys out.

“It doesn’t set in. You can’t be walking around without injury after crashing a plane through a tree, tumbling on a lot and hitting another tree, but I did. Amy did, too. We had hugged, but I don’t think the reality set in for either of us.”

When you hit the tower, had you guys spun in the air or was that when you were landing and it was violent?
“What I was told is there was some kind of upright metal structure of some kind, and it found its way to the wing. … If you look closely at pictures of the plane, you can see a slice in the left wing. What happened was that pipe penetrated the wing, and in the middle of the wing is a very firm steel structure called a spar. When it hit the spar, the spar held and the pipe broke. If the pipe holds and the spar breaks, we don’t have a wing and we go down. But the spar held and the pipe fell to the ground. They found it and there was a picture in the paper. … I could see gas spewing out. And that’s been reported too from the ground. I could see it right there and thought something was going on. That’s where the gas tank was. It had cut it. So, it’s possible that we ran out of gas. … That might have killed the engine. So, we kept going. My first thought was we were crippled, but we weren’t done. I thought Bill was going to get us there. We were probably three miles away from the Downtown Airport. Then, the engine died. So, you know you’re going down. It’s such a surreal thing.”

There wasn’t any talking about it though, right?
“I remember Amy asked something to the effect of, ‘What do we do?’ I just said, ‘We pray.’ It was something to that effect. And then there were no more words spoken.”