Skip to main content
CNN U.S.

Ex-Oklahoma quarterback among 2 killed in Indiana plane crash

By Janet DiGiacomo and Ed Payne
updated 4:56 PM EDT, Mon March 18, 2013
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • One of the two who died was former University of Oklahoma quarterback
  • 2 people on board a small plane died when it crashes into several homes
  • Three people are injured
  • The private jet damages three homes

(CNN) -- One of the two people killed when a corporate jet crashed into a row of homes in northern Indiana Sunday was a former University of Oklahoma quarterback who helped the school win two national championships in the 1970s, a school official confirmed Monday.

Steven Davis, the 60-year-old former quarterback, and Wesley Caves, 58, both of Tulsa, Oklahoma, were killed in the crash that also injured three other people in South Bend, said Randy Magdalinski, coroner of St. Joseph County, Indiana.

Davis' former Oklahoma coach, Barry Switzer, said Davis wasn't a highly-regarded recruit, but excelled when he won a starting job.

"He went on to post a 32-1-1 record and help us win two national championships," Switzer said. "Steve was surrounded by great talent on those teams, but he was truly an exceptional leader. I was proud of him. The entire state of Oklahoma was proud of him. We still are."

OU athletic director Joe Castiglione said, "We extend our sympathies to Steve's family and others whose lives he touched. He was a great champion and someone who set a wonderful example for others. We will miss him very much."

The Hawker Beechcraft 390 that Davis and Caves were on slammed into a South Bend neighborhood, damaging three single-story homes.

Davis and Caves died on impact. Two other people aboard were injured, as was one person on the ground, Assistant Fire Chief John Corthier said late Sunday.

The plane was sheared in half -- its nose poking through the front window of a shattered home. It was attempting to circle back to the city's regional airport after a failed landing attempt.

Moments earlier, the plane's pilot had radioed for help, CNN affiliate WNDU-TV reported.

He was experiencing problems with the technical equipment, he said.

The plane was almost on its back and was "spiraling down," resident Theresa Futa told WNDU.

"I've never seen anything like that before in my life ever."

A representative of the National Transportation Safety Board arrived late Sunday to investigate the crash.

The plane left Tulsa, Oklahoma on Sunday afternoon, and was scheduled to land at South Bend Regional Airport about 80 minutes later at 4:20 p.m. ET, WNDU reported.

The troubled aircraft startled Shelby Ramirez, who was driving in the area.

"I happened to see the shadow and I said 'Oh my God. I've never seen a plane that low,'" Ramirez said. "And I would say if it was 3 feet above the top of the car it was something. It could have dropped on us."

3 dead after small plane crashes in Fort Lauderdale

CNN's Jim Spellman, Jackie Castillo, Dana Ford and Jessica Jordan contributed to this report.

ADVERTISEMENT
Part of complete coverage on
CNN Recommends
updated 8:31 AM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
In soccer-mad Brazil, the World Cup, Confederations Cup and FIFA have become symbols of corruption and waste.
updated 8:59 PM EDT, Tue June 18, 2013
A man who silently stood in Taksim Square and stared at a portrait of the founder of the modern Turkish state, drew hundreds to his vigil.
updated 1:26 PM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
In a file picture taken on January 30, 2012, Taliban fighters stand with their weapons as they hold the Muslim holy book Koran after they joined Afghan government forces during a ceremony in Herat province. The medieval Taliban who ran Afghanistan with the Koran in one hand and a gun in the other now tweet and talk peace, but they remain a potent threat as a NATO withdrawal looms.
As Afghan forces formally take over security of the country, what is likely to be on the table when the U.S. and the Taliban meet for talks?
updated 4:54 AM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
North Korea's recent belligerence has many in China, its lone ally, saying enough is enough. But would Beijing really cut Kim Jong Un off?
updated 6:47 AM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
Whether you have a vague fear of Big Brother or a desire to keep your bank information private, there are ways of securing your data.
Among the intriguing pieces of history in Chinese coastal province Fujian are the tulou: large, round, rammed-earth buildings dating back centuries.
updated 11:39 AM EDT, Tue June 18, 2013
NYU did a great favor not only for the Chinese dissident but also for both the U.S. and Chinese governments, writes James Millward.
updated 11:14 PM EDT, Mon June 17, 2013
Former NSA contractor Edward Snowden is laying low, but that's becoming increasingly difficult. CNN's Ian Lee reports.
updated 7:11 AM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
Esspresso being made at the Everyman Expresso coffee house July 31, 2012 in the Soho section of New York.
Tired of seeing developed nations take the lion's share of profits from his country's coffee crop, a Ugandan businessman decided on a new plan.
updated 9:22 AM EDT, Wed June 19, 2013
There's a new menace lurking in the streets of London -- exploding sidewalks, which have injured at least 5 people.
ADVERTISEMENT