Tow Show

Carmen & Liam flew into Bellingham (near Canada) and we all drove home in the flatbed tow truck, towing the Model T. We stayed overnight at the Silver Springs Resort & Spa in Ferndale, WA.
"I'm driving!"
-Liam
Yes, there really is such a thing as the "Tow Show". Several hundred towing company owners affiliates show up every year to promote the professional side of the industry. I spent the entire day Saturday talking to people who have gotten to know my family over the past 20 years. They had many great memories and stories of Brian and Mark.

Sometimes all you need is Grandpa.

With so much going on in our family lately, the chaos can be overwhelming for all the kids involved. We're grateful to have such great friends and family around to help us out at a moments notice. Carmen & Christy's parents flew in from Kentucky as soon as they heard of the crash.

Cousins

Mark and Brian's greatest passion in the world was their love for these 3 boys. Their "papa" donated this swing set and fixed it up because swinging is their favorite thing to do. Liam, Toby, & Sam will likely grow up more like brothers, even though they are technically cousins.
All the cousins (Liam, Sam, Ethan, Isaac, Levi, Haley, & Toby) Bombs away!
Apparently the kids found the fire hats while playing at Liam's house. I see 5 future firefighters in this picture. Can you guess which one's? :)

Beautiful

The girls suggested that we spend some time at the spa to try and relax.
In case you can't tell, Kenny's excited.
Ok, I admit it. I had a good time too. (Massages were included)

Crash Site

Just silence.
Only the motor and prop had been removed from the plane when we arrived the day after the accident. Brian and Mark's remains were also taken away. Nearly everything that survived the crash melted away in the fire, leaving only an outline of the airplane in the ground.
Trying to make sense of it doesn't help. Looking for memories might.
A few things survived. Teresa found dad's sunglasses, still in their case. I found his flashlight. The last time I flew with my dad was the last time that I saw him. I handed him this flashlight so that he could enter our flight into his logbook. I thanked him for the trip and for the fun time, and unknowingly said goodbye to him for the last time.
Mark was living his dream; father & son together on the lake, lounging on the pontoons of his floatplane. No limits. No regrets.
Disbelief... Confusion... Misunderstanding... Mourning... Solemn.
Though they have gone to be with Christ in Heaven, their memory will live on in our hearts here on Earth. John, Robin, & Ron honor their brother and nephew at their final resting place on the shores of Lake Nahwatzel.

more photos online by Ron Storer.

Media Coverage

My thanks to the Media:
I would like to thank all the media for being respectful to the Storer family over the past week. As you know, this has been a difficult time for all of us. Nothing could have prepared us for the sudden loss of our beloved family members, Mark and Brian, but thanks to the coverage of Komo 4 News, Q13 Fox News, Kiro 7 Eyewitness News, and King 5 News we were able to reach thousands of friends in a short period of time. I would further like to thank the media for portraying Mark and Brian as the wonderful, caring people that they were.

Misconceptions about the crash:
There are some discrepancies as to what happened when Mark and Brian were on Lake Nahwatzel moments before the crash. Some witnesses stated they were inspecting the airplane before takeoff. Some say they made several attempts at taking off. Some have said that the motor was unusually loud, and one even said they were looking at the engine.

More information & facts about the crash:
Mark Storer, the pilot, always follows proper protocol when performing a water take off. When there is no wind, it is common procedure to run the plane up and down the lake to create a wake and allow the pontoons to lift out of the water more easily. Mark also performs a 360 degree circle before takeoff, so that he gets a visual of all boats and swimmers in the water for safety reasons. If there is any wind, every pilot knows it is most beneficial to position the plane so that it takes off into the wind. I have flown with Mark in his Cessna 185 many times and he always runs through his preflight checklist item by item before his assent. This particular motor has about 400 horse power and is louder than most Cessna engines. We have been given official word by the NTSB that the prop was not turning at the time of the crash, so it is possible that without warning or signs of a problem, the motor stalled or the prop failed shortly after takeoff. The coroner ruled the crash an accident and stated that Mark and Brian were killed on impact, not as a result of the fire which burned hot and fast because of the aviation fuel which is located in the wings.

We also know that Mark and Brian traveled to Lake Nahwatzel for fun. Mark likes to take his family on short trips around the Puget Sound area. He leaves from his hanger at Auburn, lands on a lake, picks a nice spot to sit and have lunch, turns off the motor, and we usually sit on the pontoons and talk until we decide to leave. Mark has a crossover wire toward the front of the plane so that we can walk back and forth between the pontoons. I always grab the prop when I am crossing over as to avoid falling in the lake, and it could easily appear to onlookers as though I am looking at the engine, when I am not actually doing so. Everything Mark and Brian did before the crash was normal and there was never any indication of a problem with the aircraft.

All media coverage of this weeks events are listed below.

Day of Crash:
Komo 4
Kiro 7
King 5
Q13

News Videos:
Komo 4
King 5 News Clip
King 5 Fire Raw Footage
King 5 Water Drop Raw Footage

Photos:
Komo 4
Kiro 7
King 5

News Blog:
King 5

Family Visits Crash Site:
Kiro 7

Memorial Service:
Komo 4
Kiro 7

Other Links:
NTSB Report
Mason County Sheriff's Office Press Release
B-Town Blog Memorial Service
B-Town Blog Crash Report
Examiner.com
Seattle PI Crash Report
Seattle Times Crash Report
Seattle PI After Crash
The Olympian
Fort Mill Times
Tow 411
Pacific Northwest Flying
Bonney Watson Obituary for Brian
Bonney Watson Obituary for Mark
Legacy Online Obituary for Mark
Legacy Online Obituary for Brian