Teen Mania Tragedy
Hannah Luce, the only survivor from a plane crash that killed four Teen Mania Ministries members who were traveling to an Acquire the Fire event, continues to recover at a Kansas hospital.
Hannah, 22, is the daughter of Ron Luce, founder of Teen Mania. “The fact that Hannah is here with us is a miracle,” Ron wrote on his blog. “And while I am overjoyed and so thankful to God that she’s here, I am also deeply saddened at the loss of Austin, Stephen, Garrett and Luke. I can’t even begin to understand the pain their parents are feeling right now.” Hannah had no major internal injuries, but is undergoing surgeries for the burns covering 28 percent of her body.
Memorial services for Garrett Coble, Stephen Luth, Luke Sheets and Austin Anderson were all held last week. Sheets, 23, was piloting the plane when it crashed in Chanute, Kan., on its way from Tulsa, Okla., to Council Bluffs, Iowa for the event. Sheets’ father, Craig, told the Green Bay Press Gazette that the cabin filled with smoke and his son made an emergency landing, but the plane hit a tree after sliding about 200 feet. The plane fuel then caught fire. His account comes after talking with Ron, who has spoken with his daughter about the incident. The smoke in the cabin may have resulted from a malfunctioning heater.
The Iowa event was the last of 33 Acquire the Fire events in the country this year. Hannah joined the Teen Mania staff earlier this year after graduating from Oral Roberts University. “All were friends of Teen Mania, and two of them, Austin and Stephen, were only recently hired to join our marketing team,” Luce wrote in his blog. Ron has said that Anderson, a former Marine, likely pulled his daughter from the plane and helped her to safety. He later died at a hospital. For more information on memorial contributions, visit the Teen Mania website.
Photo courtesy of Teen Mania Ministries.
