Ella Kirk, Michael Mahl, and Ella Myers, were gifted writers, musicians, photographers, film makers, students, conservationists, and more, inspiring us all to do more, be better, and ultimately reminding us just how precious life is. They lived their lives fully. Together they were leaders at Aldo Leopold Charter School (ALCS) and in the community, showing us that truth is a fundamental part of leadership and community.
Our three children, Ella Jaz, 14, Michael Sebastian, 16, and Ella Sala, 16, were flying over the Signal Peak burn area in the Gila National Forest near Silver City, NM as part of their ecological monitoring internships at ALCS on May 23, 2014 when they were taken from us in a fatal plane crash.
Aldo Leopold Charter School initially stated the flight was not a school trip although the flight was planned as part of their Youth Conservation Corps (YCC) Eco Monitoring project. YCC internships are part of the ALCS core curriculum. The school's denial of responsibility in the accident created confusion and misinformation in the community and caused our families undue grief and anxiety these past 18 months as we shouldered the burden of this tragedy. Without acknowledgement of responsibility and accountability, there could be no positive change and no healing.
In the beginning we believed the crash was purely weather related, a tragic freak accident, and trusted the school that all safety measures were taken care of before take-off. Sadly, within a few weeks, we learned how consistently negligent the pilot was in the past and we realized with horror that this fatal accident was avoidable. The families and supportive community members repeatedly approached the school asking for answers and accountability to no avail. That is when the three families decided to start an investigation to find the truth.
The families filed suit October 28, 2014 as part of an effort to uncover the facts surrounding the events leading up to and surrounding the crash.
The depositions from the legal proceedings reveal that the school shifted responsibility to Steve Blake, the teacher who arranged the flight and put the kids on the plane. It is clear that Blake hid the trip from Eric Ahner, the ALCS director, but other administrative staff knew of the plan and did not inform him. Blake did not heed weather concerns expressed by the parents, nor did Peter Hochla, the pilot, even after Blake observed and commented on bad weather approaching the Whiskey Creek Airport. Additionally, Blake indicated to at least one parent that he would be on the plane. Inexplicably, after the crash, Blake was not required to take a leave of absence pending an investigation nor did he receive any additional professional consequences or reprimand.
Despite repeated requests, the school never conducted a thorough investigation, nor interviewed the families. Depositions and contact with the teachers after the accident indicate that most ACLS teachers didn't review the facts available to them, such as the NTSB report, eyewitness statements, or parent statements. It also appears that the schoolG