i didnt know it was a student pilot.
Death and legacy
Main article: 2000 Zion mid-air collision
Collins died in the afternoon of February 8, 2000, after his and a student pilot's plane collided upon approach to the runway at the Waukegan Regional Airport in Waukegan, Illinois. The student pilot, Sharon Hock, was directly below him, and they were unaware of each other's presence until the collision. Collins attempted to steer his plane to a safe landing, but it crashed and burned atop a nearby hospital, killing him and a passenger and injuring five people on the ground .[1][5] The student pilot also crashed three blocks away and died. The official report indicated that the control tower personnel were unable to observe or communicate the perilous situation until it was too late. Many of Bob Collins' friends and co-workers worked in Bob's memory to have radar and other safety tools installed at the Waukegan Regional Airport to prevent further tragedies.
WGN held a memorial radio show, much of which was captured for a CD that was sold to benefit his favorite charities, the WGN Radio Neediest Kids Fund and the Salvation Army.[cita
========
http://articles.chicagotribune.com/2007 ... lins-crashU.S. District Judge John Darrah is to decide the case.
Government lawyers have blamed Collins for the crash, saying he gave inaccurate reports of his position in the minutes before the collision. But attorneys for the victims contend an air-traffic controller at the Waukegan tower was at fault for improperly spacing the planes.
The government also has alleged that Collins' diabetes "impaired his ability to see and evaluate the threat and react accordingly."
Christine Collins disputed that her husband's diabetes impaired his vision or affected his alertness. She said he was an active person who enjoyed snow skiing and snowmobiling, target shooting, riding motorcycles and bicycles and traveling in addition to flying.
She also said he frequently bought new eyeglasses.
She also took issue with any suggestion that her husband was contemplating retirement. She said he considered jumping to a rival radio station for more money but decided against it because "he was happy every day at WGN. He knew he was lucky."
WGN is owned by Tribune Co., which also owns the Chicago Tribune.
Collins said the 13-year age difference with her husband became meaningless once their relationship became serious.
But she recalled how her husband proposed to her in the parking lot of a motorcycle shop after he and a friend had decided it was time for him to pop the question.
"It was not romantic," she said with a laugh.
Seven years after his death, Collins said she still wears her wedding ring.
"Just because he didn't come home one day doesn't mean we're still not married in my head and my heart," she said.
Government lawyers had no questions for either woman.
Login
Register
FAQ
Search
