Hattiesburg City Council members have approved a contract with Hattiesburg engineering firm Shows, Dearman and Waits that will install fire lanes on Annie Christie Drive in Hattiesburg, which last year was the site of an airplane crash that resulted in the death of four individuals.
The matter was approved at a recent council meeting, with the green light of a standard for agreement between the owner and the engineer of the project.
“It was one of those things that was highlighted after that (plane crash) occurred,” Mayor Toby Barker said. “There weren’t fire lines actually on Annie Christie, and there were some very close nearby on neighboring streets.
“But in terms of making sure those houses come online, that they have as much protection as any other neighborhood, this is to ensure that.”
Because of the relatively short length of Annie Christie Drive, officials hope the project can go out to bid within the next six months.
“One house was completely destroyed; all the other houses are still there,” Barker said. “We won’t know (the cost) until we go to bid.”
The crash happened in late May 2021, when – according to Automatic Dependent Surveillance-Broadcast data provided by the Federal Administration – a Mitsubishi MU-2B departed Wichita Falls Municipal Airport in Texas on the evening of May 4, en route to the Bobby L. Chain Municipal Airport in Hattiesburg.
The pilot flew to the initial approach fix, performed the procedure turn, and flew a portion of the final approach course.
“The last ADS-B point was recorded at (11 p.m.) about 1.6 miles northwest from the accident site, at an altitude of 1,475 feet mean sea level,” the report stated. “An Alert Notification was issued by air traffic control when the pilot did not provide a cancellation radio call as required after the instrument approach to a non-towered airport.
“The airplane impacted the front section of an occupied residence about 2.2 miles from the approach end of runway 13. A post impact fire ensued and consumed a majority of the airplane and the residential structure.”
FAA records show the pilot held a private pilot certificate with ratings for airplane single engine land, multiengine land and instrument airplane, and had completed a flight review in the MU-2B in November 2020. The pilot had previously reported 7,834 total hours of flight time.
“The airplane was not equipped, and was not required to be equipped, with any type of crash-resistant recorder device,” the report stated. “The wreckage was relocated to a secure facility for further examination.”
The crash occurred around 11:20 p.m. May 4, 2021, when emergency personnel responded to a report of a downed aircraft on Annie Christie Drive, near Evans and Edwards streets. Upon arriving, officials confirmed that a civilian airplane had crashed into a home.
There were four fatalities, including the husband of a city employee who resided in the home and three family members of a student at the University of Southern Mississippi who were traveling for graduation ceremonies later that day.
Forrest County Coroner Butch Benedict identified the victims as 55-year-old Gerry Standley of Hattiesburg, 67-year-old Louis Provenza of Texas, 2-year-old Harper Provenza of Texas and 23-year-old Anna Calhoun of Texas.
Investigators from the NTSB arrived at the scene of the crash on May 5 and spent several days examining the wreckage and other evidence.
“I know this is an accident that is very heavy on the minds of everyone in Hattiesburg, and I know we have two families whose lives are forever changed by this,” Barker said at a news conference. “I hope that people will continue to give their prayers and condolences.
“Every time our city is faced with a challenge, the best of us will show up. This is one of those times where there will be opportunities our folks to support those two families.”
