Plane crashes into Northwest Austin office building

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/courts/entries/2010/02/23/hunters_widow_files_lawsuit_ag.html
Hunter’s widow files lawsuit against Stack’s wife

By Tony Plohetski  | Tuesday, February 23, 2010
The widow of an Internal Revenue Service employee killed when authorities said Andrew Joseph Stack III flew his plane into an office building has sued Stack’s wife, saying she should have warned others about her husband.

According to the seven-page lawsuit filed in Travis County court, Sheryl Mann Stack had a duty to “avoid a foreseeable risk of injury to others,” including Vernon Hunter, who was killed Thursday.

“Stack was threatened enough by Joseph Stack that she took her daughter and stayed at a hotel the night before the plane crash,” the suit said.

Federal authorities have said that Stack flew his single-engine plane into a building that houses Internal Revenue Service offices Thursday morning after setting his home ablaze. Officials have said he left behind a rambling Internet message blaming the IRS for many personal and financial difficulties.

Dan Ross, an attorney representing Valerie Hunter said, “There are reasons why we wanted to get a lawsuit filed early, not because we wanted to hurt anyone or anything like that.”

The suit also seeks to block the autopsy results for Vernon Hunter from being made public.

According to the lawsuit, the Hunter family is entitled to damages because Joe Stack was negligent in protecting Hunter’s life. The amount of damages being sought was not specified.

Stack was required by law to fly his single-engine plane at an altitude 1,000 feet above the highest obstacle, according to the document.

“Vernon Hunter belonged to a class of persons the (law) was designed to protect,” the suit said.

Interesting comments...

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/kxan-building-targeted-by-pilot-could-fall
Building targeted by pilot could fall
Part of Hwy 183 frontage closed due to concerns
February 23, 2010


Echelon Building in the snow (Thomas Costley/KXAN)

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Safety concerns are keeping nearly a mile of the frontage road U.S. Highway 183 closed on Tuesday. Meanwhile, the FBI investigation into Joe Stack, the pilot who flew his plane into Echelon building one continues.

Investigators are also still trying to find out exactly how Stack's house caught on fire less than an hour before the crash.

Homeland Security and the FBI is still out at Echelon Building I, they said they are no longer collecting evidence and have turned it over the owner, but are still far off from wrapping up the investigation.

The closed off portion of Hwy 183 is between Loop 360 and Mopac. There is no telling when it could open. It all depends on how stable the building is.

"We do know if the building fails it will fail in the direction of that access road,” said John Hurt, TxDOT spokesperson.

TxDOT is worried Echelon building one could come crashing down on those driving by.

"There's a retaining wall that’s also up against the access road that's involved, so we're not just looking at the building itself, we're looking at that retaining wall that was also damaged badly in the incident,” said Hurt.

For that reason, those hoping to get to any of the Echelon buildings have to take Jollyville Road until the Texas Department of Transportation hears back from the building owner's insurance company.

"Right now we're waiting on a report from a structural engineer that the building is safe,” said Hurt.

However, the engineering team just got access to the building Monday. TxDOT officials said Tuesday’s snowfall is not a factor in the delay because most of the testing is taking place inside the building. If the building does need to be demolished, the southbound frontage road of Hwy 183 between Loop 360 and Mopac could stay closed for some time.

"We may be able to open it a while close it against while they tear down the building if that’s what they decide to do,” said Hurt.

The longer the building sits with a gaping hole in it, and the longer the access road is closed, the more those who were at or near the scene re-live the incident.

"I was actually sitting in my patrol car and heard and felt the collision from within my patrol car,” said Sergeant Robert Hester with the Austin Police Department.

Hester was less than a mile from the building when John Stack flew his plane into it Thursday and even the experienced police officer was shaken up.

"It's still unreal when you have something like this - such an unusual thing to occur - that is still can have you awestruck when you look at something that's such a large scale event,” said Hester.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/The-family-of-plane-crash-victim-files-lawsuit-to-prevent-release-of-autopsy-information-85151597.html

The family of plane crash victim files lawsuit

by JIM BERGAMO / KVUE News

Posted on February 23, 2010
New developments Tuesday night in that deadly suicide plane attack in Northwest Austin.

A lawyer for the family of Vernon Hunter, the man killed in that crash, announced a lawsuit that names the pilot's wife. The wrongful death lawsuit was filed along with a temporary restraining order and it's the Temporary Restraining Order that is at the heart of the legal action.

Last Thursday when Joe Stack flew his plane into the Echelon building Vernon Hunter was the only person inside the building to lose his life. Tuesday, the attorney for Hunter's widow filed a wrongful death lawsuit with a temporary restraining order to prevent the public release of Hunter's autopsy.

"The family wanted the autopsy report on Mr. Hunter to remain private," said Daniel Ross, the attorney representing Hunter's family.

Ross said the family was concerned about graphic details about Hunter's death being released.

"Mr. Hunter had 8 grandchildren at various ages and they simply did not want any of them reading the details of the autopsy," Ross said.

Legally, there could have been no temporary restraining order without a lawsuit. That's why the wrongful death lawsuit was filed against the estate of Joe Stack.  The suit names Stack's wife, Sheryl, as the administrator or executor of that estate, which is also required by law according to Ross. Ross said he did not alert Mrs. Stack about the suit because he didn't know how to reach her.

"My client of course has stated that her heart goes out to Mrs. Stack and she considers Mrs. Stack as much a victim in this as anyone else," Ross said.

Ross said while money is not the motivating factor behind this civil suit, it is his job to find out if the Stack estate has anything left.

I can't tell you what my client is seeking. I quite frankly don't believe at this point that's really an issue that's near her mind, she hired me to do a job.That job, at the moment, is to stop the release of the autopsy.

Ross said he plans to ask Sheryl Stack if she had gone to the authorities before going to motel the night before the attack, could this entire incident have been avoided?

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/local/An-inside-look-at-the-Echelon-building-85268242.html
(Video Avail) PHOTO GALLERY
An inside look at the Echelon building
by NOELLE NEWTON / KVUE News

Posted on February 24, 2010
Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell toured damaged Echelon building this week.

Last week we watched as flames ripped though the echelon building. Windows shattered and insulation was carried away in a cloud of smoke. Now the empty building sits surrounded by protective fencing to guard against further decay.

Mayor Leffingwell is one of the few people who has seen what it looks like inside. He toured the building on Tuesday and shared photos with KVUE.

"It's very eerie because all of these things are hanging down from the ceiling, wires, pipes, ducts all these kinds of things. Obviously, there are parts are really bad where the fire was most intense you have warped high beams. There will be a lot of structural repairs on part of the building. Part of the building will need to be aired out maybe,” Leffingwell said.

Leffingwell spent 40 minutes inside going up and down the four stories, even stopped at the point of impact. But the top floor left the most lasting impression.

"There were half finished cups of coffee. There were pencils and pads laying on the desk,” Leffingwell said. "It makes you feel kind of sad. Here were a bunch of people going about their daily business and through no fault of their own they were subjected to this heinous criminal act."

The website of one of the former tenants, Scientific Investigation and Instruction Institute, gives insight to what survivors are going through. Si3 is now in neighboring building two. Their records have been sequestered and without a phone line, e-mail is the primary method of communication.

Paul Tomasovic says the property management company, KVA, has hired a structural engineer to evaluate the integrity of the building. A report is expected by the end of the week. On Wednesday, he hand-delivered a dangerous building notice to KVA to immediately remove loose debris.

"Possible windows and things like that that could be possibly dislodged,” Tomasovic said. "It's really too soon to say whether it will collapse or not, of course that is our biggest concern."

The ultimate goal is to give people their lives back.

"The city wants to be a part of that endeavor to get the frontage road open, get the people back in there as soon as possible and I want the city to help,” Leffingwell said.

Leffingwell will hold a memorial service at city hall on Thursday at 9:55 a.m. It’s the exact time the plane hit the building one week ago.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/home/Help-Sheryl-Stack-and-her-daughter-85288802.html
Help Sheryl Stack and her daughter
February 24, 2010

Neighbors are hoping to help Sheryl Stack and her daughter.

Investigators say Stack’s husband, Joe, set fire to their home then flew his plane into the Echelon Building last Thursday killing Vernon Hunter and himself.

Neighbors tell KVUE, Sheryl has been a terrific neighbor. She invites them to concerts often and they wanted to do something to help. So they set up this web site for donations.

On the site, Sheryl posted this comment:

“It means a lot to us that we have been surrounded by such love and support by friends, family, neighbors, and even strangers.  In the midst of our heartbreak, it is heartwarming to know that others care.  Your gift is greatly appreciated, and we are uplifted by your support.  Thank you.”

Yesterday the family of Vernon Hunter, filed a lawsuit naming Sheryl.

 Website to help Sheryl and her daughter:  http://www.helpsheryl.com/

[MuffyBee]

http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=267857
Investigators Confirm Fire at Stack's Home Deliberately Set
February 24, 2010
Fire officials have confirmed that the fire at Joseph Stack's home was deliberately set.

The FBI has identified Stack as the man who deliberately flew his plane into the Echelon 1 building in northwest Austin Feb. 18. The building housed about 200 employees of the U.S. Internal Revenue Service and its criminal investigations division. Stack and federal employee Vernon Hunter were the only two people killed in the crash. Thirteen others were injured.

Fire crews responded to the fire at Stack's home less than an hour before his plane hit the building.

Investigators haven't determined exactly how the fire started. They have not opened an arson investigation because Stack is the primary suspect, and died in the crash.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/blotter/entries/2010/02/26/report_planedamaged_building_s.html
Report: Plane-damaged building structurally sound

By Barry Harrell | Friday, February 26, 2010, 04:43 PM

A private engineer’s inspection indicates the office building Andrew Joseph Stack III crashed a plane into last week is structurally sound and is not in danger of collapse, a City of Austin spokeswoman said Friday.

The four-story Echelon I building — on Research Boulevard (U.S. 183) near MoPac Boulevard (Loop 1) — was heavily damaged and has been closed since the Feb. 18 crash, which killed Stack and IRS employee Vernon Hunter.

Officials from the city’s Code Compliance Department, the Austin Fire Department and Texas Department of Transportation met Friday with representatives of 183 Echelon LP, the limited partnership that owns the building, said Jennifer Herber, spokeswoman for the code compliance department.

The engineer’s report “basically said the integrity of the building is still strong and it’s not going to collapse,” Herber said.

She said the city will continue to meet with the building’s owners, but said it is “up to them to decide what to do with the building.”

[MuffyBee]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/APStories/stories/D9E44QE00.html
Hundreds salute IRS worker killed in plane crash

02/26/2010

Associated Press

Hundreds of mourners crowded a church in eastern Austin to pay tribute to an Internal Revenue Service worker killed when a man plunged his small plane into the building housing an IRS office.

The Austin American-Statesman reports that more than 200 people gathered at the St. James Missionary Baptist church for the funeral of 68-year-old Vernon Hunter.

Hunter, a Vietnam War veteran, died Feb. 18 when Andrew Joseph Stack III of Austin deliberately crash his small plane into an Austin office building. Hunter was a group manager in the IRS office in that building. Stack was the only other person killed.

Letters from President Barack Obama and Austin Mayor Lee Leffingwell were read to the mourners.

Meanwhile, KXAN-TV in Austin reports city code compliance officials have determined that the office building remains structurally sound despite the crash damage.

___

[MuffyBee]

http://news8austin.com/content/top_stories/default.asp?ArID=268023

Vernon Hunter laid to rest at Fort Hood
February 26, 2010

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/crash-victims-church-joins-benefit-for-stack-family-329020.html
Crash victim's church joins benefit for Stack family
Benefit for widow of Vernon Hunter also being planned.
Sunday, March 7, 2010
By Isadora Vail

AMERICAN-STATESMAN STAFF

Rodolfo Gonzalez/AMERICAN-STATESMAN
Sheryl Stack, the widow of Andrew Joseph Stack III, hugs her daughter, Margaux, 12, during a fundraiser held for them at the Bachus Conservatory on Sunday. Among the performers was the choir from Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church, where IRS employee Vernon Hunter, who was killed when Joe Stack crashed a plane into a building last month, was a member.

The choirs of two Austin churches that each lost a member in last month's plane crash stood together Sunday night to perform "Amazing Grace." Members of Greater Mount Zion Baptist Church, which Vernon Hunter attended regularly, joined members of Berkeley United Methodist Church, attended by Andrew Joseph Stack III, the disgruntled taxpayer who flew his single-engine plane into a building housing Internal Revenue Service offices, killing Hunter, an IRS employee, and himself.

About a dozen music groups performed at a benefit, held at the Bachus Conservatory in North Austin, for widow Sheryl Stack and her daughter, Margaux, whose home was destroyed by arson before the crash.

"My heart grieves for the loss of life caused by my husband in the tragic events of Feb. 18, 2010," Sheryl Stack said in her first public comments since the crash. "My prayers are continually with the widow and family of Vernon Hunter, and I pray also for Shane Hill and all the others who were injured and or traumatized by this catastrophe."

A benefit for Hill was held Sunday at Dallas Nite Club in North Austin, where country singers Steven Franks and Cheyenne performed. Hill, who suffered severe burns and is continuing treatment at a hospital in San Antonio, was the most critically injured in the crash.

Just hours before the crash, the Stacks' home was set on fire. Federal officials have said they think Joe Stack set the fire.

"I keep remembering things I lost in the fire, and it saddens me greatly," Sheryl Stack said to a group of more than 150 people. "But these are just things, and what I have learned in the last two weeks is that life and love are the only things that matter."

Greater Mount Zion donated about $1,000 to Stack and her daughter, said Jennifer Bourianoff, a friend of the Stack family who performed a few songs on her violin and helped organize the benefit with other friends. She said plans are under way for another benefit for Valerie Hunter, Vernon Hunter's widow.

Outside the hall, the Rev. Gaylon Clark of Greater Mount Zion told Sheryl Stack that Valerie Hunter did not attend Sunday's event because she wanted their first meeting to be in private.

"She wants you to know that she wants to meet with you away from the cameras and the crowd, but that she is ready to meet with you," Clark said.

"I'm ready for that, too," Stack replied.

Stack, a pianist, is pursuing a doctoral degree at the University of Texas. Some of her classmates and former classmates performed Sunday.

"I am the victim of a violent crime, done by someone I loved — and someone who loved me — very much," she said. "I have a lot to come to terms with, dealing with that. As if that weren't enough, I am a grieving widow."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/ntsb-releases-austin-plane-crash-report
(Video at Link)
NTSB releases Austin plane crash report
Provides more details about Stack's deadly flight
Tuesday, April 6, 2010

USTIN (KXAN) - The National Transportation Safety Board released its preliminary report Tuesday regarding February's plane crash into IRS offices in the Echelon building .

While NTSB said it is preliminary information subject to change, it did say that the single-engine airplane flown by Joe Stack, 53, intentionally flew into the side of the Austin office building at 9:58 a.m. Feb. 18.

The report indicates no flight plan was filed for the personal flight from the Georgetown Municipal Airport under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91.

No flight plan was required because it was a VFR (visual flight rules) day, where the NTSB report indicated "visual meteorological conditions prevailed." That meant the skies were clear and that no flight plan was necessary.

Air traffic control communications and radar data show officials cleared the pilot for takeoff from the airport, and he proceeded southbound. No further communications were made with the pilot after a controller approved a radio frequency change.

The airplane was observed on radar descending out of 4,800 feet and making a turn toward the west, and the airplane was last observed on radar at an altitude of 1,000 feet on a southwesterly heading before the data ended at 9:57 a.m.

The report indicates the aircraft crashed between the first and second floors of the Echelon Building and exploded on impact. The impact and post-impact fire destroyed the plane.

"As this event was an intentional act, the FBI has assumed jurisdiction and control of the investigation," said the NTSB report.

Stack owned a software company called Embedded Art and posted a rambling, suicidal manifesto on the site the morning of Feb. 18 - saying he had had problems with the Internal Revenue Service and that violence "is the only answer."

Officials said Stack began his fiery rampage by setting his Northwest Austin home on fire at 9:15 a.m., less than an hour before his fatal crash. The blaze in the Scofield Farms neighborhood destroyed Stack's $236,000 home.

Stack's wife, Sheryl, and his 12-year-old stepdaughter had left the home and checked into a a hotel on the night before the house fire, after Stack reportedly went "ballistic" over his problems with the IRS.

Longtime IRS worker Vernon Hunter , 68, died in the crash. An IRS manager, Hunter was described as humble and happy with a thirst for life's joys.

Hunter's wife, Valerie, filed a lawsuit five days after the crash to seek unspecified damages, which names the estate of Joseph Stack as a potential defendant. The primary goal of the lawsuit is to get an injunction against the release of the full autopsy report for Hunter. Attorney Daniel Ross said Valerie is seeking to protect her children and grandchildren by keeping those details private.

In the week following the crash, City of Austin awarded a "hero" and worker for Binswanger glass who helped rescue six people from the burning with three "Challenge Coins." Robin Dehaven hoisted a ladder to the burning building the morning of the crash.

While authorities continued to conduct their investigation in the days following the crash, the lanes of the southbound U.S. 183 access road in front of the Echelon Building remained closed. The Texas Department of Transportation fully reopened the access road 11 days after the crash.

Meanwhile, details surrounding Echelon Building repairs and its reopening remain unclear.

Read NTSB's full preliminary report below:

"NTSB Identification: CEN10FA124
14 CFR Part 91: General Aviation
Accident occurred Thursday, February 18, 2010 in Austin, TX
Aircraft: PIPER PA-28-236, registration: N2889D
Injuries: 2 Fatal.

This is preliminary information, subject to change, and may contain errors. Any errors in this report will be corrected when the final report has been completed.

On February 18, 2010, approximately 0958 Central Standard Time, N2889D, a Piper PA-28-236 single-engine airplane, was destroyed after the pilot intentionally flew it into the side of an office building in Austin, Texas. The private pilot and an employee who worked in the building were killed. The airplane was registered to and operated by the pilot. Visual meteorological conditions prevailed and no flight plan was filed for the personal flight conducted under 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91. The flight originated from the Georgetown Municipal Airport (GTU), Georgetown, Texas, at 0944.

Preliminary review of air traffic control communications and radar data revealed that after the pilot was cleared for take off from Georgetown Airport, he proceeded southbound and climbed to an altitude of 4,800 feet. During this time, a controller approved a radio frequency change and the pilot responded, "Eight niner delta thanks for your help have a great day." No further communications were made with the pilot. At 0954, the airplane was observed on radar descending out of 4,800 feet and making a turn toward the west. At 0957, the airplane was last observed on radar at an altitude of 1,000 feet
on a southwesterly heading before the data ended.

The airplane collided with the office building between the first and second floors, and exploded on impact. The airplane's engine, two (of three) propeller blades, and the right wing came to rest outside of the building. The empennage came to rest on the ledge of the building and was partially hanging over the edge. The left wing, portions of the fuselage, and a propeller blade, were found inside the building on the second floor. The flaps were found in the fully retracted position. The airplane was destroyed by impact and the post-impact fire.

The weather at Austin Bergstrom International Airport (AUS), Austin Texas, at 0953, was reported as calm wind, visibility 10 miles, few clouds at 25,000 feet, temperature 9 degrees Celsius, dew point 1 degree Celsius, and a barometric pressure setting of 30. 24.

As this event was an intentional act, the FBI has assumed jurisdiction and control of the investigation."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/dn/latestnews/stories/DN-hero_21nat.ART.State.Edition1.4c8d9f0.html
Rescuer in IRS building crash in Austin honored as hero in Washington
April 21, 2010

 WASHINGTON – Robin De Haven was on an Austin freeway, driving to his construction job in February, when he saw smoke billowing from an office building.

The 28-year-old Iraq war veteran got off at the next exit to see if he could help people trapped in the Internal Revenue Service building, which was on fire after Joseph Stack deliberately crashed his plane into it.

In a rambling suicide note, Stack blamed the government, the IRS and accountants for his business problems.

Grabbing ladders from the back of his truck, De Haven saved six people trapped on the second floor of the building.

For his actions, De Haven is getting a hero's welcome in Washington. On Tuesday morning, he was recognized at the Helmets to Hardhats program at the AFL-CIO Building and the Construction Trades Department's legislative conference at a Washington hotel. De Haven is a graduate of the program, which trains soldiers for careers in construction.

And Tuesday night, De Haven, a glass worker, was honored by his union, the International Union of Painters and Allied Trades.

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/blogs/content/shared-gen/blogs/austin/courts/entries/2010/04/21/man_injured_in_crash_at_northw.html
Man injured in crash at Northwest Austin building sues pilot’s estate
April 21, 2010

State employee Shane Hill, who was seriously injured Feb. 18 when authorities say a pilot intentionally flew his plane into a Northwest Austin office building, has sued the pilot’s estate.

The three-page suit cites negligence by Joseph Stack in causing injuries to Hill and seeks damages for “physical pain and mental anguish, physical impairment, disfigurement, medical expenses and loss of earnings.” It does not seek a specific amount.

Stack died in the crash.

Hill, a five-year investigator for the state comptroller’s criminal division, was the most seriously injured of those who survived the Feb. 18 crash, when a single-engine plane piloted by Joseph Stack was intentionally flown into the Echelon 1 building, which houses Internal Revenue Services offices.

Hill received second-degree burns over 20 percent to 25 percent of his body.

Hill, who is married and a father of two young children, was at the Echelon building the day of the crash as part of his responsibilities working with IRS agents on tax fraud cases.

His attorney, Jeff Boyd, said in a statement that although the suit identifies Stack’s wife as a defendant, she is named only because she is the administrator of the estate.

“The suit does not assert any claims against Mrs. Stack personally, does not accuse her of any wrongdoing, and does not seek any recovery from her or from any funds that she might receive,” the statement said. ” We believe that Mr. Stack had an insurance policy to cover his plane and his actions as a pilot. That policy would provide no benefits to Mrs. Stack, as its sole purpose would be to compensate others who are injured by Mr. Stack’s conduct as a pilot.”

The statement said that Hill continues expressing his concern for Stack’s wife, child and the family of Vernon Hunter, who was killed in the crash.

[Nut44x4]

Austin Suicide Pilot’s Last Words: “Have A Great Day”

Minutes before crashing his small plane into the side of a seven-story office building in Austin, an angry software engineer requested a radio frequency change and then told an air traffic controller to “have a great day,” an NTSB report on the crash says.

WASHINGTON (December 27, 2010)—Joseph Stack III, 53, told an air traffic controller to “have a great day” minutes before flying his Piper PA-28-236 into the side of the seven-story Echelon Building in Austin, according to the final National Transportation Safety Board report on the Feb. 18 suicide attack.

Stack died in the fiery crash along with Internal Revenue Service employee Vernon Hunter.

About a dozen other people were injured.

The building housed IRS offices in which about 200 IRS employees worked.

Read The NTSB Crash Report
http://media.graytvinc.com/documents/Austin+Suicide+NTSB+Report.pdf

The NTSB report says Stack took off at 9:44 a.m. on Feb. 18 from Georgetown Municipal Airport and proceeded south, climbing to an altitude of 4,800 feet.

During the ascent, Stack requested a radio frequency change and told the controller who approved it, “Eight niner delta, thanks for your help, have a great day.”

Those were evidently Stack’s last words.

At 9:54 a.m., 10 minutes after takeoff, the plane was observed on radar as it descended from 4,800 feet and turned to the west.

The plane disappeared from radar three minutes later at an altitude of 1,000 feet.

A minute later, at 9:58 a.m., the plane slammed into the side of the office building between the first and second floors, exploding on impact.

Investigators found the plane’s engine and two of its three propeller blades and the right wing outside of the building.

The tail section came to rest on a ledge, from which it was partially hanging, the report said.

The left wing, portions of the fuselage and the third propeller blade were found inside the building on the second floor, the report said.

The flaps were fully retracted, suggesting the plane was flying at maximum speed at the time of impact.

An autopsy report released earlier this year said Stack died of blunt-force trauma and that his "entire body was pulverized."

The report said the remains included a severely burned upper body and a mangled lower body.

Stack posted a rambling online anti-government message before crashing his plane into the building.


Read The Pilot's Anti-Government Manifesto
http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/”http://www.kwtx.com/news/misc/84727172.html”

It wasn't the first time a protester has gone after an Austin IRS building.

In 1995, Charles Ray Polk plotted to bomb the IRS Austin Service Center.

He was released from prison in October of 2009.

The tax protest movement has a long history in the U.S. and was a strong component of anti-government sentiments that surged during the 1990s.

http://www.kwtx.com/home/headlines/Austin_Suicide_Pilots_Last_Words_Have_A_Great_Day_112510909.html

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/widow-agrees-to-settle-suit-against-pilots-estate-1195096.html
Widow agrees to settle suit against pilot's estate
January 19, 2011

The widow of a man killed last year when Joseph Stack flew his plane into a Northwest Austin office building has agreed to confidentially settle a lawsuit against Stack's estate, her lawyer said Tuesday.

Austin attorney Dan Ross, who represents the family of Vernon Hunter , would not discuss details of the settlement other than to say the money will come from insurance funds and that "there were no assets taken from the (Stack) estate."

"There is nothing that is going to erase the anguish my clients have suffered as a result of this act, but they are relieved this process is nearing completion and will soon be over for them so that they can move on with their lives," Ross said.

Attorneys representing Stack's widow, Sheryl Mann Stack, were both in depositions Tuesday and could not be reached for comment.

Vernon Hunter, a 68-year-old employee of the Internal Revenue Service, was one of two people killed in February when Stack flew his single-engine plane into a building that houses IRS offices after setting his home ablaze.

Stack, who also died, left behind a rambling Internet message blaming the IRS for personal and financial struggles.

Family members and friends described Hunter as an usher at his church who talked of another career helping children with disabilities. His wife, Valerie, worked at the same building but escaped the large explosion and fire without injury.

Hunter's family filed a lawsuit several days after the crash, and Ross said at the time that they were interested to know whether any insurance proceeds might be available that the Hunter family could be awarded.

Ross said that a wrongful death lawsuit was the proper way to find out. The amount of damages being sought was not specified in the suit.

The lawsuit also sought to prevent the Travis County medical examiner's office from making public Hunter's autopsy. Officials have said he was a victim of homicide and died of "conflagration injuries."

[MuffyBee]

http://www.kxan.com/dpp/news/local/echelon-building-undergoing-repairs
Echelon building undergoing repairs
More than a year since plane crashed into its side
July 29, 2011

AUSTIN (KXAN) - Workers are picking up the pace on repairs to a northwest Austin building damaged when a man intentionally crashed his plane into it last year.
 ::snipping2::
(Video at Link)

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/statesman_focus/fbi-case-file-new-details-of-2010-stack-1675395.html
FBI case file: New details of 2010 Stack plane crash into federal offices
Investigative file sheds light on Stack's finances, relationships and actions before crash
July 30, 2011

n the minutes before her husband rammed his small airplane into an office building, Sheryl Stack turned onto her street after spending the night at a hotel to see a huge black cloud rising from her house.

Joseph Stack had been taunting her about his plan "to vanish," she would later tell investigators. She first feared that he had killed himself inside.

"I saw the smoke billowing and said, 'Oh, my god, he's burned the house down,' " Sheryl Stack told them. "He had told me his life was over — that he was walking away and that I would never see him again."

As she arrived at her burning home, Joseph Stack was not dead — yet. He was at the Georgetown airport hangar he rented for $300 a month, loading a 55-gallon drum with extra gasoline onto his plane and leaving behind a second barrel covered with threats scribbled on Post-it notes and addressed to the Internal Revenue Service.

Those and other details are among new revelations in nearly 1,000 pages of documents in the FBI's Stack case file — all obtained by the American-Statesman last week through the Freedom of Information Act.

The file revealed, for the first time, that the plane he crashed into a building that housed Internal Revenue Service offices had been a source of conflict with the government about whether he could consider it a taxable business expense.

The documents referred to an audio interview Austin fire officials conducted with Sheryl Stack, and the newspaper separately sought copies of that tape, which provides the first glimpse into her reactions in the immediate aftermath. She has not publicly discussed the details of what happened and did not return calls seeking comment last week.
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[MuffyBee]

http://www.kvue.com/news/Saturday-marks-two-years-since-Echelon-plane-crash-139520078.html
Saturday marks two years since Echelon plane crash
February 17, 2012

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On Feb. 18, 2010, Joseph Stack flew his piper airplane into the building, killing himself and IRS employee Vernon Hunter. Stack also set his North Austin home on fire that morning.

Work has been made on the exterior of the Echelon Building and it seems to be almost complete. No word on when it will reopen.
Video at Link

[MuffyBee]

http://www.statesman.com/news/local/austin-man-wins-carnegie-hero-award-2274900.html
Austin man wins Carnegie hero award
Andrea Ball, Here and There
March 31, 2012

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De Haven, a glazier with Binswanger Glass, was on his way to a job in North Austin when he saw a plane fly over the road, then bank and disappear behind a hill. Seconds later, 53-year-old Joseph Stack — an Austin man with a decades-long grudge against the Internal Revenue Service — intentionally flew his single-engine plane into Echelon I, a building at 9430 Research Blvd. that housed some IRS offices.

De Haven, a former combat engineer with the U.S. Army, drove to the building. When he heard people were trapped inside the building, he took a 17-foot ladder from his truck, leaned it against the battered building, climbed up and guided six people to safety. De Haven instantly became a media celebrity, appearing in newspapers and on television shows all over the country.

Shortly after the incident, he got a call from a stranger named Mary Edna Dorsey.

Dorsey, a retired art teacher from Bryan, said she wanted to nominate De Haven for the Carnegie Medal. But the process required De Haven's participation. He'd need to fill out forms, collect news clips and submit to interviews with the foundation, and Dorsey wanted to know if De Haven was game.

"I thanked her and said yes," he said.

It was more than a year before De Haven heard from the foundation. In November 2011, the group called to ask some questions and verify some information, he said. They called again in December for the same thing.

Then in March, De Haven got a letter saying he'd won.

"We thought his volunteering to go to the scene, putting the ladder up and entering the building put his life at risk and definitely qualified him for the award," said Walter Rutkowski, executive director of the Carnegie Hero Fund Commission.

But when De Haven tried to contact Dorsey to share the good news, he discovered that she had died.

According to her obituary in the Bryan-College Station Eagle, Dorsey, 74, had worked as a teacher in the Bryan school district for more than 40 years. And she clearly appreciated heroism. News clips show that in 2003, she nominated a Grimes County girl for the Carnegie Medal for stopping a 100-pound dog from killing her 6-year-old neighbor. The girl won the award.
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[MuffyBee]

http://kxan.com/2014/02/17/pilots-suicide-attack-on-irs-shocked-austin/
Pilot’s suicide attack on IRS shocked Austin
February 17, 2014