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December 18, 2006

Caldwell crashes plane in Grand Lake

Three men are dead and one is in the Delaware County Jail after a plane crash Saturday evening.

Brent Caldwell, 30, Pryor, was the pilot of a Bellanca Viking single engine plane which hit the water four miles north of Jay on the north bank of Drowning Creek.

According to Oklahoma Highway Patrol Trooper Robert Rogers' report, the crash happened at 6:04 p.m. Witnesses told Rogers the plane was flying very low and no engine noise could be heard. Caldwell stated he lost power before the plane hit the water. The plane landed in approximately 12 feet of water.

Three passengers expired at the scene. They were pinned under water for an unknown length of time. Dead are Mariano Carlos, 15, Pryor; Eduardo Ortiz Robles, 20, Mexico; and Campos Gonzalez, 33, Mexico.

Caldwell was taken by helicopter to St. Johns Hospital in Tulsa. A blood test revealed he was under the influence of alcohol. Caldwell does not have a pilot's license. He is being arraigned in Delaware County Monday morning.

Caldwell is involved in multiple lawsuits with his partner Chad Hawkes. Hawkes Motor Company, which is now out of business, is accused of a practice called 'power booking' and other offenses.

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