July 28, 2012
SEDONA, Arizona (AFP) - Two-time USA Olympian Pat Porter was killed in a fiery plane crash, along with his 15-year-old son, when his Cessna crashed during takeoff from a small Arizona airport.
Aviation officials said Porter, an avid pilot, died when his twin-engine plane went off the runway, down a hill and then burst into flames on Thursday.
Porter's son Connor and a friend of Connor's were also in the plane, Porter's wife Trish King Porter said.
There were no survivors.
His wife said Porter and the boys spent three days in Sedona. Officials are still trying to determine the cause of the crash.
Porter competed in the 10,000 meters at both the 1988 Seoul, South Korea and 1984 Summer Olympics on his home soil in Los Angeles.
He also won a record-setting eight USA Track and Field senior men's cross country championships.
Porter married Olympic high jumper Trish King Porter in 1991 after the couple met during an American Olympic training camp. Trish took part in the Seoul Games.
