The Latest: Pilot may have had heart attack before crash

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GUTHRIE CENTER, Iowa (AP) — The Latest on a small plane crash in west-central Iowa on Friday that killed four people (all times local):

1 p.m.

Authorities believe the pilot of a small plane that crashed in central Iowa, killing all four people on board, may have suffered a heart attack.

The Guthrie County Sheriff’s Office says in a news release that a student pilot was going to attempt an emergency landing Friday night because the pilot apparently had a heart attack, but the plane dropped off radar southwest of Guthrie Center airport.

The wreckage was found Saturday morning in a cattle pasture southwest of Guthrie Center, about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southwest of Le Mars, where the plane had taken off.

The sheriff’s office identified those killed as the pilot, 49-year-old Edward Ralph Anderson, of Le Mars; 28-year-old Tyler Douvia, of Merrill; and 36-year-old Patrick Kellen and 15-year-old Samantha Clark, both of Le Mars.

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12:15 p.m.

Authorities say a small plane crashed in central Iowa, killing all four people on board, including a teenage girl.

Guthrie County Sheriff’s Deputy Jesse Swensen says the plane was reported missing shortly after it took off Friday evening from the Le Mars Municipal Airport in northwestern Iowa. He says the wreckage was found at around 6:30 a.m. Saturday in a cattle pasture southwest of Guthrie Center, which is about 115 miles (185 kilometers) southwest of Le Mars.

Airport manager Tom Mullally said Saturday that there were three men and a 16-year-old girl on the plane. He declined to release their names or discuss what may have caused the crash.

Mullally says he expects federal safety officials to arrive at the scene some time Saturday.

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Information from: KCCI-TV, http://www.kcci.com

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