5 OEHS Professionals Die in Plane Crash
The professionals, all employed by the same environmental consulting firm, were departing from Little Rock, Arkansas, when the incident occurred.
- By Alex Saurman
- Mar 07, 2023
Five occupational and environmental health and safety professionals died after a plane crashed late last month, the American Industrial Hygiene Association (AIHA) reported.
Aboard a small aircraft, Gunter Beaty, Kyle Bennett, Micah Kendrick, Glenmarkus Walker and pilot Sean Sweeney were flying from Little Rock, Arkansas, on February 22 when the plane crashed just a few miles outside of the airport they departed from, Arkansas station KATV reported.
They were headed toward Columbus, Ohio, where a previous metal plant explosion resulted in worker injuries and one death.
All five of the professionals were employees of CTEH, an environmental consulting firm.
"We are incredibly saddened to report the loss of our Little Rock colleagues," Dr. Paul Nony, senior vice president of CTEH told KATV. "We ask everyone to keep the families of those lost and the entire CTEH team in their thoughts and prayers."
One of the professionals, Kendrick, was also a former member of AIHA.
“We are heartbroken by the untimely passing of our OEHS colleague Micah and his coworkers, Gunter Beaty, Kyle Bennett, Sean Sweeney, and Glenmarkus Walker,” said Lawrence Sloan, CEO of AIHA in a news release. “This tragedy is close to the hearts and minds of AIHA members and the OEHS community. All of us at AIHA extend our heartfelt condolences to the victims’ families, friends, and colleagues.”
KATV reported that the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash and its cause, respectively.
About the Author
Alex Saurman is a former Content Editor for Occupational Health & Safety,who has since joined OH&S’s client services team. She continues to work closely with OH&S’s editorial team and contributes to the magazine.