Pilot killed, three others hurt in plane crash near Boonville airport

The Missouri State Highway Patrol confirmed Sunday the pilot of a small plane died after a crash near the Boonville airport just after 9:00 Sunday morning.

The pilot, Charles Sojka of Salina, Kan., and three passengers were on the plane when it went down shortly after taking off from the Jessie Viertel Memorial Airport in Boonville.

The three passengers in the plane were 56-year-old Brenda Schewe of Salina, 25-year-old Kathryn Taylor of Wichita and 23-year-old Jacob Taylor of Kansas City. The passengers were taken to University Hospital for their injuries.

On Monday night, Schewe was in serious condition, Kathryn Taylor was in fair condition, and Jacob Taylor in good condition.

The FAA inspected the scene Monday afternoon. The plane was hauled away. The crash site is near MO Highway 87 and Nancy Potter Rd., just south of I-70 and is about 1/2-to-one mile south of the airport.

According to Tim Rogers of the Salina Airport Authority, Sojka was a flight instructor at a company called Sojka Aviation.

Rogers said the plane is based in Salina. He said it left earlier in the week and was on its way back from Boonville, Missouri.

According to the Kansas State University website, Sojka worked in aviation maintenance for the college in Salina.