A well-liked doctor from Plymouth is dead, presumably killed in a plane crash near Moose Lake Wednesday afternoon.
Authorities identify the pilot as 65-year old Thomas J. Stillwell. WCCO Radio confirmed Stillwell was a doctor at Minnesota Urology in Robbinsdale.
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The Carlton County Sheriff's Office says Stillwell was found, along with the wreckage of a Mooney M20J, in the Moose Horn River just a short distance from the end of the runway at the Moose Lake Carlton County Airport. The wreckage was discovered at about 7am Thursday.
A flight plan had been filed, listing a 4:30pm departure from Moose Lake Wednesday, and a 5:15pm arrival at the Crystal Airport. The plane never arrived in Crystal, which is when a search began.
The plane was registered to the Club Cherokee flying club based in Crystal. The following statement was issued by Bruce Killam, club manager.
The Minnesota aviation community is a close-knit family, and any time there is an aircraft incident, we are all affected. Today, Club Cherokee has experienced a terrible loss in our family. The pilot flying N111JP was a long-standing and highly regarded member of Club Cherokee. At this time, we would like to express our sincere condolences to his family and friends. As the investigation into the incident continues, we will be working with the FAA and NTSB to the fullest extent.
Stillwell was featured in a January 2016 piece for Minnesota Flyer. He told the publication his work as a doctor brought him to flying.
"I love to fly," said Stillwell. "I think being a pilot is part of your genetics. It's somewhere deep in you that, once it gets tapped, it's kind of hard to resist. You must feed this need. If you don't, you're not happy."
Minnesota Flyer says Stillwell would routinely fly to Moose Lake, Mora, Sandstone, Onamia, and Grantsburg, Wisconsin for hospital outreach programs. In the article, Stillwell said he would fly to Moose Lake twice a month to see patients.
A cause of the crash is not yet known, but air searches were not possible last evening due to the weather.
The NTSB and FAA are investigating.
