Randy Roby's search continues for the missing plane and passenger from a crash that killed his brother 47 years ago.
During his trip to Jefferson City, Roby conducted aerial and ground reconnaissance for the missing Cessna 150F that could contain the remains of Micheal Hudgins. Roby's brother, Thomas, and Hudgins rented the plane Aug. 25, 1967 from the Jefferson City Memorial Airport for an after noon joyride. Four days later, Thomas's body was found near the Missouri River, according to his death certificate.
"I am relatively confident that we have discovered the collision site," Roby said about the latest crash theory which he considers credible. "Somewhere between 5:30 and 6 in the evening on a local fly around the plane struck the overhead utility lines in the vicinity of the Missouri River just up stream from the Route 54 bridge in the immediate area of Booneville Road."
With this theory he can reduce an eight-to-10 mile search area to a 600 ft. by 800 ft. square, he said. Also he found evidence to suggest that a visor to a Cessna plane was found at the mouth of Grey's Creek near the river, meaning that the plane is probably in the river, he said.
"Again this is based on my investigative experience, where you have to take evidence and make some assumptions," he said about his latest findings.
While in the city he also interviewed people who claimed to be in the several search parties for the plane and Hudgins, as well as people who work along the river. One person who was exceptionally helpful was a Ken Wildhaber, Roby said. Wildhaber was one of the original eight officers of the Missouri Boat Commission(MBC) in 1959, said Capt. Mark Richerson of the Water Patrol Division of the Missouri Highway Patrol. The MBC became Water Patrol Division of the highway patrol after Gov. Jay Nixon signed legislation to merge the two in 2010.
"I want to say once again how welcoming and encouraging the people of Jefferson City were," Roby said. "There are still a lot of people in this community that were aware of the incident in August of 1967 and wish my investigation well. With those people coming forward and providing valuable information I really got a pretty good idea of what I think happened."
He also attended a service at First Presbyterian Church, where a cross stands as a memorial to Hudgins. It was donated by the Hudgins family after the crash. After the service he paid his respects to Hudgins by placing flowers on his memorial marker at Hawthorn Memorial Gardens.
Roby and his friend Dan Daniels will return to Maryland and present their evidence to a developmental research group that has agreed to assist him with his search. If the research group agrees to commit to the search they will use a new experimental technology called a ferrous metal detector. The detector can scan the river and pinpoint small amounts of metal that are attracted to magnets, in theory.
Roby said he plans to return around November or December, when the barges cease to run for the year and the river drops lower, to ease the search efforts. If you have any information about the crash or wish to help Roby with his investigation, please contact him at [email protected].