DPS releases names of 2 Mississippi men injured in plane crash west of Lindale

LINDALE, Texas (KLTV) - The Texas Department of Public Safety has released the names of the two Mississippi men who were injured in a plane crash west of Lindale last Friday.

Glen Pace, the pilot, and Patrick Valkenberg, the co-pilot, are recovering from injuries they received after the Cirrus SR 22 they were flying in crashed into a field about nine miles northwest of Tyler.

The two pilots are employees of Jeff Martin Auctioneers, Inc., according to a company official at the headquarters in Mississippi.

An online schedule shows an upcoming auction in Wills Point.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation.

The plane had departed Terrell and was en route to Gladewater when it experienced a loss of power, according to an FAA spokesman.

A 65-foot airframe parachute was deployed by the pilot during the emergency, and its red and white parachute could be seen blowing in the wind above where the plane came to rest off of County Road 344 in Smith County.

Referred to as CAPS, the Cirrus Airframe Parachute system is designed to protect occupants in an emergency by lowering the aircraft to the ground, “similar in theory to seat belts in a vehicle,” the company website said.

The Cirrus SR 22 has a wingspan of 38 feet with a base weight of 2,269 pounds. Its 310-horsepower engine climbs at a rate of 1,270 feet per minute, according to the manufacturer’s website.

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