WWII plane crash victims 'were both wonderful guys'

Des Moines Register: WWII plane crash victims 'were both wonderful guys'
The two men who died in a plane crash in Dallas County over the weekend were friends, and both served in the military.

The state medical examiner's office identified the victims as Timothy Griffith, 67, of West Des Moines and Kendall Belz, 52, of Johnston. They died of multiple blunt force injuries when the vintage World War II plane they were in crashed Saturday in a remote area near the Des Moines River.

Griffith was the pilot, said Roger Pointer of the Iowa Aviation Heritage Museum in Ankeny, where both men were members. The men had been at a Military Appreciation Day event in Boone.

Griffith was a brigadier general in the Iowa Air National Guard, according to an obituary, and he was manager of the Federal Aviation Administration office in Des Moines for years. He also flew state of Iowa aircraft.

Pointer said Griffith was a good pilot with a great record. He retired from the FAA a few years ago, Pointer said Monday.

Belz served in the Iowa National Guard for 26 years including a stint in Iraq, according to an obituary. He was a board member of the Iowa Military Aviation Heritage Museum and could be found there working on airplanes every Tuesday. He was also a motorcycle and dirt bike enthusiast and member of the Mid Iowa Trail Riders Association.

"Kendall never had a bad word to say about anybody," Pointer said.

Griffith and Belz were friends, Pointer said.

"They were both wonderful guys. You couldn't beat either of them. They were both nice and intelligent," Pointer said.

Family members could not be reached Monday evening. The FAA continues to investigate the crash.