Our hearts and prayers go out to the families of two of our fellow pilots.
Dr. David R. Mauritson, 67, of Fairhope, Alabama was the Mercy Flight Southeast pilot and Civil Air Patrol Second Lt. Phil J. Dryden, 66, of Gulf Shores, served as mission scanner for the flight. After bringing our passenger safely home to Louisiana, the accident occurred in Mobile Alabama near the Mobile Regional Airport.
These men are heroes in our eyes as are each and every one of you.
Thank you for all you do! Please join with us in prayers for the families as we have all suffered a terrible loss.
Blue skies and tailwinds gentlemen!
Steve Purello
Mercy Flight Southeast
CEO & Volunteer Pilot
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Phil Dryden (Left) and Dr. David Mauritson (Right) with Terri C.
on Feb 1st.
Dr. Mauritson successfully completed this mission
delivering Terri safely home. |
MOBILE, AL (WALA) -
The pilot, Maj. David R. Mauritson, 67 of Fairhope was killed along with 2nd Lt. Phil J. Dryden, 66, of Gulf Shores. They were attempting to land at Mobile Regional Airport in heavy fog after a 170-mile "compassion flight" to southern Louisiana.
Friends and co-workers of Mauritson say he was a selfless man and someone dedicated to helping the community.
According to his Facebook page, Mauritson co-founded the law firm -- Grammar and Mauritson LLC.. Before that, Mauritson founded Cardiology Associates of West Alabama and graduated from Harvard Medical School.
FOX10 News visited Fairhope Unitarian Fellowship in Fairhope today. Members there say he often played trumpet at the church on Sundays.
Mauritson also was involved in several pilot organizations including Southwings, a conservation nonprofit.
Dr. Izzy Pike, a board member at the Alabama Free Clinic in Baldwin County, said Mauritson used his cardiology training to help a many people in Baldwin County.
"He was an avid volunteer," said Pike. "Anytime we needed him to come to see a person, to do anything, he was there. He was a regular volunteer at least once a month, sometimes a lot more than that. ... I read about all the things he did and it's tremendous."
According to the Civil Air Patrol, pilots perform compassion flights as a public or charitable service, often to transport patients or their family members to or from treatment in cases where ground travel would be too painful or difficult or when expediency is required.
The pilot bears the expense of the fuel, maintenance and related costs for such flights, according to the CAP.
Mauritson flew as a volunteer pilot for Mercy Flight Southeast, based in Leesburg, Florida, and for SouthWings, an aviation-oriented conservation group. He was a certified flight instructor with 50 years of flying experience.
"Dr. Maurtison was a hero to our Mercy Flight Southeast family, having signed up to fly 33 missions over the years," said Steve Purello, CEO of Mercy Flight Southeast. "He was an admired pilot who flew over 11,000 hours and was a certified instructor. Taught to fly by his mother who was also a certified flight instructor, David passed along his passion for flying to his children and was their instructor as well. His compassion and commitment to our cause to get people to far from home medical care will be sorely missed. Our sincerest condolences go out to the Mauritson and Dryden families."
Mercy Flight Southeast's network of 650 volunteer pilots provides free air transportation to life-saving medical appointments for people who otherwise could not get there.
