The International Cessna 170 Association

I'm sorry to have to pass this info on.

The below link is to a thread reporting that N2865C, a 54' B-Model out of Susanville, CA has reportadly crashed near Auburn, Ca.

Initial reports indicate two fatalities.


http://www.backcountrypilot.org/forum/v ... 1dd0c7f222


Jughead

Not Good

http://www.auburnjournal.com/article/br ... middletown

Very sad news.

It is with great sadness that I have to report the the 170 was owned and piloted by Bruce Rhymes and his passenger was his wife Kathy. As reported they both perished in the accident.

Bruce and Kathy first came the convention a few years ago at Benton Harbor. They were just a fantastic couple who fit it easily and were very well liked. In short order Bruce answered our call and was serving as one of the Associations board members.

They will both be sorrily missed by the Association.

Very sad to hear. I had the pleasure to meet both of them at Oshkosh after the Benton Harbor convention. They were both very nice and fun to talk with.
Dan

The first of information from the Sacramento Bee:

Two people in a single- engine airplane died early Sunday when their aircraft crashed near Auburn Municipal Airport, according to the Placer County Sheriff's Department.

At 12:30 a.m., the sheriff's office received a call from the California Office of Emergency Services to help search for a downed aircraft. Commercial airliners had confirmed a distress signal from the plane's emergency locating transmitter, the sheriff's office reported.

By providing specific GPS information, a California Highway Patrol airplane and the Placer County Sheriff's Department helicopter and a deputy on the ground with a hand-held radio were able to process the information to locate the downed plane.

Two occupants were found dead in the wreckage, the department reported.

A National Transportation Safety Board investigator will handle the investigation.
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We now know that the plane involved was a 1954 Cessna 170B, owned by Bruce and Kathy Rhymes of Susanville CA and that both were killed in the crash. As of yet, little is known of the cause of the incident. Their airplane was a pristine example of intense care and maintenance.

Prayers and condolences for the family.

Lolly and I first met Bruce and Kathy at the 2010 Benton Harbor convention. A wonderful couple we will truely miss. At the 2012 Longmont both of them were always there helping out on the convention and assisting the hosts, Glenn and Edna Hetchler. We will miss seeing their smiling faces.

http://goo.gl/Ek5f3

Very sad indeed. My heart goes out to their family. May they rest in peace.

We also met Kathy and Bruce in Benton Harbor. We both camped at the airport, we in a trailer, them in a small tent. We liked them immediately! They were both very kind and gentle people that enjoyed life! Bruce was an artisan, as shown by their beautiful plane and all the awards it won.

Trudy and I will miss them very much.

Dale

This news really, really hurts! What fine people... so enthusiastic...so much to give, and they did,.... to all of us.

Life is so preciously short. Such a loving couple, and it was so nice to watch them with each other, and to be with them.

gahorn wrote:This news really, really hurts! What fine people... so enthusiastic...so much to give, and they did,.... to all of us.

Life is so preciously short. Such a loving couple, and it was so nice to watch them with each other, and to be with them.

George you've hit the nail square on the head. I couldn't say it better.

They did have a beautiful plane which they never took credit for instead giving that to the previous owner. Of course they quickly understood the treasure they cared for and took on the chore of keeping it and showing it off.

Met Bruce and Kathy purely by chance in Ludington MI, waiting for a ferry to cross lake Michigan on the way to OSH. I noticed a US Hang Gliding sticker on the back window of their van and an instant friendship ensued, complete with beers.
They were indeed a pleasure to know and this is sad news.
Scott

This is terrible, I see Bruce and Susan at Reno every year. Awful

Well I can't say much that hasn't already been said. Jamie and I met Bruce and Kathy several years ago and have enjoyed there company on several 170 gatherings. We are great friends with some of the family. All I can say is they were wonderful people who will be missed.

That's just really sad news. I met Bruce when we were both flying hang gliders in the Owens Valley. We met a couple of more times over the years, and he was always really friendly and well grounded. A loss to everyone who had the pleasure of knowing him.

regards

-Marc