Two Hot Springs families are in mourning as investigators try to determine why a small airplance crashed just south of Fayetteville Saturday morning, killing all four people on board. The pilot, Edward Cooper, who is a dentist in Hot Springs, his two daughters 14 year old Elizabeth Cooper, known as Libby and his 16 year old daughter Mary Cooper, known as Catie and another Hot Springs dentist, Martin Draper were on their way to the Hog's basketball game when the crash happened.
"I just love that family. Those three made such an impact on so many people in Hot Springs. It's just a tragedy," says Maggie McPhee who lived next door to the Cooper's and babysat the two girls. Both girls are cheerleaders and attend Lakeside. "These girls are so full of life, sweet as can be and just lived everday to the fullest. I can tell they got that from their dad, he was always going and loved being around others and they all loved the Lord so much."
A close friend of the Cooper family tells FOX16, the Coopers are a strong Christian family who'll need support and prayers to get through this difficult time. Those prayers were shared openly as friends created facebook pages for both families.
The airplane went down late Saturday morning in the Brentwood Mountain area south of West Fork, about 10 miles south of Fayetteville in northwest Arkansas. The plane left Hot Springs Memorial Field at 11:02 and air traffic controllers lost contact with the plane at 11:42 just four minutes before its expected arrival. The airplane was a single-engine Beechcraft A-36.
Both Washington County Sheriff's Office and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
A funeral for the Cooper's will be held Thursday at 2pm at the Hot Springs Convention Center.
