Arden Eli TWEETEN

TWEETEN, CHARLSON, JORDAHL, AFDEM, LUNEBURG, LARSON

Posted By: Sarah Thorson Little (email)
Date: 10/26/2010 at 17:27:16

October 24, 2010
Fort Dodge Messenger, Iowa

March 27, 1930 -- October 21, 2010

WOOLSTOCK, IA - Arden Eli Tweeten, the son of Oscar and Hazel (Charlson) Tweeten, was born March 27, 1930, in Fertile, Iowa. He was raised and educated in the area of his birth, graduating from Lake Mills High School. Arden served in the United States Army during the Korean Conflict. On August 16, 1953, Arden was united in marriage with Jolaine Jordahl. They farmed together in Winnebago County until 1963 when they moved to a farm in Woolstock, Iowa, where Arden was still actively farming at the time of his death. Arden served as a spokesman and was instrumental in forming the Organization to Protect the Environment targeting large confinement operations that were being built with dangerous management practices. Arden received his first pilots license 40 years ago and enjoyed both flying and aviation repair. He was an active member of the AOP Association and has flown over much of the middle United States. In recent years, he logged over a million miles.

Arden also enjoyed trips to Oshkosh, fishing trips to Canada, attending guns shows and spending time with his wife, Jolaine, family and friends.

Arden passed away Thursday, October 21, 2010, in a plane accident near Clarion, Iowa at the age of 80 years. He was preceded in death by his parents and grandson, Brandon Tweeten.

Survivors include his wife, Jolaine; sons, Lon Tweeten and wife Darla of Woolstock and Larry Tweeten and wife Jolene of Lexington, KY; daughters, Lori Afdem and husband David of Marshall, MN and Linda Luneburg and husband Steven of Winterset; sister, Rachel Larson and husband Vincent of Lake Mills; 13 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren.

Memorial services will be held Monday, October 25, 2010, at 2:00 p.m. at the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eagle Grove. Visitation will be Sunday from 4:00 to 6:00 p.m. also at Evangelical Lutheran Church in Eagle Grove. Memorials may be left to the discretion of the family.

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Waterloo - Cedar Falls Courier, Iowa
October 21, 2010

CLARION, Iowa - An 80-year-old man was killed in a plane crash around 2:40 p.m. Thursday near Clarion. Arden Tweeten, hometown unknown, was operating a twin-engine plane when it crashed in a field approximately 1/2 mile west of the Clarion Municipal Airport, according to a news release from the Wright County Sheriff's Office. He was pronounced dead at the scene. The cause of the crash is unknown and the Federal Aviation Administration is expected to be on the scene Friday morning to conduct an investigation, according to law enforcement. The Clarion Police Department and Clarion Fire Department assisted.

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Small Plane Crash Kills One

Reported by: Natalie Tendall
KIMT October 21, 2010

Plane Crash

CLARION, IA-One man is dead after his plane crashes in a bean field near the Clarion Airport. Investigators are trying to figure out what happened. Authorities are identifying the pilot as 80-year old Arden Tweeten from Wright County. He was pronounced dead on the scene. The Wright County Sheriff says Tweeten was an experienced flier. So, it's not known what caused him to crash into an area field.

However, one family saw the whole thing happen. "We were in the car and I told my wife honey, I think that plane is crashing." Morgan Helm, his wife and a family friend are remembering an eventful afternoon. While on a leisurely drive back to Thornton on Highway 3 he was watching a twin engine plane flying smoothly in front of him...then.. "[it] did a nose dive then started spiraling out of control like a corkscrew turning to the left then he crashed into a field and we observed smoke."

Helm says he hurried out of the car, taking a moment to grasp what he was seeing. Helm said, "I couldn't believe it, I was kind of in disbelief like did that really just happen, then I started to get concerned." He flags down the car behind him, not even realizing it's the county sheriff.

Wright County Sheriff Paul Schultz said, "I slowed down to see if I could assist, I just figured he broke down and he said he just witnessed a plane go down." Together the sheriff and help took off for the scene of the crash. Helm said, "my first thought was are their survivors, the second when we got over there, if someone would have survived that it would have been an act of God."

Sheriff Schultz said, "with the extent of the injuries it was apparent that the person was deceased." The Sheriff's Department confirms it was 80 year old Arden Tweeten. They say his plane was in the air for less than thirty minutes before something triggered the fall. Helm said, "my thought when he was spiraling either he lost control or it was some kind of medical issue, the gentlemen was having whether he had a stroke or heart attack I don't know but I would say it was more of a medical issue."

The official cause is still under investigation. Helm describes the car ride home as one filled with heavy hearts, after witnessing such a rare accident. The FAA is expected to look over the plane sometime Friday. The Sheriff's Office tells us there was no fire when the plane crashed but there was some fuel leaking. The accident site is just a half a mile away from the Clarion Airport.

http://www.kimt.com/content/localnews/story/Small-Plane-Crash-Kills-One/YgYPjS_gCEeixZXE9Vhw3A.cspx