Aviator Lowell Peterson dies following plane crash

Jackson resident and aviation enthusiast Lowell Peterson has died following a plane crash. He was 74.

Peterson and longtime friend Jack Mehner were hospitalized Tuesday after a plane they were flying flipped at the Cape Girardeau Regional Airport.

Cape Girardeau Police Department public-information officer Rick Schmidt had confirmed Peterson and Lowell were the only "two souls on board" the plane at the time of the crash.

Authorities had not said who was piloting the plane, but both men had long experience as pilots. Both had joined the Cape Girardeau Pilots' Club and had years of piloting experience, according to Southeast Missourian archives.

Last year, the FAA designated Mehner a "Master Pilot" for having exhibited flying skill for the past 50 years. He told the Southeast Missourian in an article recognizing his achievement he and Peterson often enjoyed flying an airplane they had built together in Peterson's garage, among other planes.

Peterson was active in the community. He had served as past-president of Rotary in Cape Girardeau, participated in the annual Soap Box Derby, and had been executive director of Habitat for Humanity.

He and his wife Laurie joined Peace Corps after his retirement, and were stationed in Uzbekistan.

His visitation will be from 9 to 11 a.m. Saturday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Cape Girardeau. Funeral service will follow at 11 a.m. at the church.

Burial will take place at a later date in Minnesota.

Mehner had successful surgery Wednesday morning for a neck injury he sustained, according to a message put out on behalf of his family by the Cape Girardeau Chamber of Commerce. Mehner's son John Mehner is the president and CEO of the chamber.

mniederkorn@semissourian.com

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