Lago Vista Plane Crash Victim Identified
Julie Simon
Reporting
(CBS 42) AUSTIN
Wednesday February 21, 2007
Derrich Pollock, 45, of Austin was flying a single-engine Cessna 210 that went down a half mile northwest of the airport, which ends at the Lago Vista city limits.
The area is so remote, it took a another pilot flying overhead to notice the wreckage and notify police.
The National Transportation Safety Board is at the scene, looking into what caused the crash. The final report could take six months.
Pollock was on his way to a business meeting in Sugar Land when his plane crashed.
Pollock and his wife were married for 18 years. They had four children, two boys and two girls. While he loved God and his family above all else, those close to him say flying was a close third.
Pastor Harold O'Chester knew Pollock well and says there was no end to his good deeds. He remembers one example right after Hurricane Katrina.
“Derrich made flight after flight after flight to New Orleans with materials, stuff,” O’Chester said. “They said you can't get into New Orleans and he said I can get in--because he was such a good pilot.”
Pollock's friends gathered at Great Hills Baptist Church Tuesday to remember the man they say wasn't like anybody else.
“He was always in motion, and was always for doing something for somebody else,” friend Mickey Powell said.
“It'll take many years to get over this, if I ever get over it,” friend Charles Batts said. “He meant so much to the church. I don't know how they'll do a shrimp boil without him.”
He frequently took his pastor and his friends with him when he flew. They all say it was a meticulous pilot.
One friend said he suspects Pollock had some sort of medical emergency that resulted in the crash.
NTSB officials say they will be on the scene for a few days. The wreckage won't be removed until, at least, Wednesday.
The Lago Vista airport does not have a control tower.
Pollock's funeral will be Friday at Great Hills Baptist Church.
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