Tenn. Plane Crash Kills 5 Ministers

[Pastor Dale Morgan]

*
Perilous Times*

*Tenn. Plane Crash Kills 5 Ministers*

Monday September 3, 2007 1:46 AM

ELIZABETHTON, Tenn. (AP) - A plane carrying five Jehovah's Witness
ministers crashed in a remote area of eastern Tennessee, killing all
aboard, officials said.

The crash, which happened around 10:30 a.m. Saturday, wasn't discovered
until more than eight hours later, when another pilot spotted the wreckage.

Authorities had to clear a path Sunday to get to the crash site in the
Cherokee National Forest on Holston Mountain. Five bodies were found,
said Carter County Sheriff Chris Mathes. One of the ministers was
believed to be the pilot, he said.

The single-engine Beech Bonanza crashed after leaving the Elizabethton
Municipal Airport, officials said. The aircraft had taken off from
Hamblen County and landed in Elizabethton to pick up two passengers. It
was destined for Virginia Highlands Airport near Abingdon, Va., about 40
miles from Elizabethton.

Robert Burpitt, an elder with the Woodland Heights congregation of
Jehovah's Witness in Kingsport, said the ministers were all from East
Tennessee and members of a regional building committee that makes
decisions regarding Kingdom Hall building projects. The names of the
ministers were not released.

He said the men were on their way to Abingdon Saturday morning to meet
with congregation members to discuss building a new church.

``All of the congregations in this region are devastated by this news,
and will continue to keep the families in their prayers,'' he said.