4 days Ago
A Quakertown man is being recognized for “extraordinary acts of heroism” in rescuing a flight instructor from the burning wreckage of a plane crash two years ago in Lehigh County. The Carnegie Hero Fund Commission this week announced it was honoring Ronald Diehl Jr. with a Carnegie Medal for Heroism for his actions to save Philip McPherson after the crash Sept.
28, 2022, in Salisbury Township. Diehl is one of 18 people to receive the latest batch of Carnegie awards, which come with a financial grant. The commission said in a news release that Diehl, a carpenter from Quakertown, was working at a nearby home the day the plane crashed and burst into flames.
The plane, a single-engine Piper PA-28 carrying McPherson and a student pilot, crashed in a yard on Keystone Road near the Little Lehigh Creek. Diehl, who witnessed the crash, ran to the burning plane and pulled McPherson’s leg, freeing him from the wreckage, according to the commission. The plane exploded as Diehl dragged him from the scene.
McPherson was hit by a piece of sheet metal and was burned, the commission said. Report reveals cause of 2022 Lehigh Valley plane crash that killed student pilot McPherson told Diehl that his student was still in the plane, and Diehl tried to get back to the plane, but was forced away by the intense heat. The student, identified as Keith Kozel, 49, of Easton, died from multiple injuries, according to the Lehigh County Coroner’s office.
Diehl was not injured in the incident. McPherson remains federally charged with involuntary manslaughter in the incident. Authorities said McPherson had surrendered his pilot’s certificate before two prior crashes.
Last summer, federal investigators determined a partial loss of engine power caused the crash. The plane flew from Allentown’s Queen City Municipal Airport and was heading to Hackettstown Airport in Warren County, New Jersey. Plane crash in Salisbury Township | PHOTOS.
