The NAAA family
of members and staff are greatly saddened by the loss of long-time,
professional operator-member Andy Deterding of Pond Creek, Okla. Our thoughts
and prayers during this difficult time are with his wife Sue, their children
Greg, Tommy and Nikki, grand-children, friends and co-workers. The Deterding’s
were well known as ag operators in Oklahoma and North Dakota as well as flying
in Kansas and Oregon.
Andy Deterding,
57, was fatally injured on Wed., May 30, 2018 when his Thrush aircraft impacted
the ground after hitting a guy wire supporting a thousand-foot radio station
tower near El Reno, Okla. The Deterdings operated Andy Deterding Ag Aviation in
Pond Creek. His sons Greg and Tommy are following in their father’s foot-steps
as ag pilots for the family-owned operation.
There will be a
visitation Friday evening, June 8th, from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. at Wilson
Funeral Home, 227 W. Aspen Ave., Pond Creek, Okla. The funeral service
celebrating Andy’s life will be held on Sat., June 9th at 10:00 a.m.
at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 1626 E. Broadway, Enid, Okla. 73701. Internment
will follow the service at Pond Creek Cemetery.
For those
wishing to donate to a memorial in lieu of flowers, the family is creating a
scholarship fund to make sure Andy’s commitment to his community continues.
Donations to the fund may be made to the “Andy Deterding Scholarship Fund” and
sent to First State Bank, PO Box 58, Pond Creek, OK 73766.
Although we may
never know the exact details related to Andy’s accident, it is important to
remember to remain clear of the supporting structures of a tower. Guy wires may not be marked making them
difficult to see. The ground anchor end of the guy wire may be obscured by
vegetation. The wires attached to the
tower involved in the Deterding accident were about 700 feet from the base of
the 1,000 foot tower.
