Rick Beaver and Bethe Beaver Death – Following a plane crash into the Gulf of Mexico on Wednesday evening, April 5th, 2023, two couples from Noblesville, Indiana were killed. According to Venice Fire Rescue, the plane came down around 9:30 p.m., roughly a half-mile off the Venice Fishing Pier. From Venice Municipal Airport, it had taken off. According to Capt. Andy Leisenring of the Venice Police Department, the Piper PA-32R was occupied by four persons on Thursday, April 6th, 2023.
What happened to the Indiana couples?
According to the Venice Police Department, the plane took off from a St. Petersburg airport last night and traveled to Venice Airport, where it arrived at 5 p.m. At the restaurant Sharky’s On the Pier, the residents got together with pals for dinner. At around 9:35 p.m., they took off from Venice Airport and shortly after takeoff, they crashed into the Gulf. They intended to use Albert Whitted Airport to get back to St. Pete. The victims included Rick Beaver, 60, and Bethe Beaver, 57, both from Noblesville, as well as William Lumpkin, 64, and Patricia Lumpkin, 68, both from Fishers.
From the dock, a number of witnesses saw the collision and dialed 911. On Wednesday evening, a debris field and the two men’s bodies were found. Until just before noon on Thursday, rescuers were unable to locate the plane or the other passengers. The wreckage of the plane was found by divers at a depth of roughly 23 feet. The family has been informed. The FAA, National Transportation Safety Board, Venice Fire Rescue, and Sarasota County Sheriff’s Office are all looking into the collision.
About the victims
According to their LinkedIn profiles, Rick Beaver was the president of Beaver Construction Management and Bethe Horine Beaver was a co-owner of Indiana Elite Cheer & Tumbling. William Jeff Lumpkin was associate director of Raytheon, and Patricia Lumpkin worked as a realtor.
According to NTSB, part of the investigation will be to request radar data, weather information, air traffic control communication, maintenance records, and the pilot’s medical records. NTSB investigators will look at the human, machine, and environment as the outline of the investigation. The agency said investigations into fatal crashes typically take between 12 and 24 months to complete. According to WFLA, a small plane went down under similar circumstances in December 2022, killing a family of three.
- Rick Beaver Noblesville IN
- Bethe Beaver Noblesville IN
- William Lumpkin Fishers IN
- Patricia Lumpkin Fishers IN
Rick Beaver and Bethe Beaver’s obituary and funeral arrangements will be released by the family later.
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