GOP Senator's Son Reportedly Killed in Plane Crash

Perry Inhofe, son of U.S. Senator James Inhofe (R-Okla.), died in a plane crash Sunday, according to sources familiar with the situation.

Photo Courtesy: Chris Kennedy, Phoenix Deer Valley Airport in Arizona, Sept., 2012.

The Mitsubishi MU-2B-25 twin turboprop that crashed outside of Tulsa, Okla., Sunday was reported earlier to have been connected to Perry Inhofe’s work and home address, The Atlantic notes.

The senator’s son is believed to be the only fatality from the crash.

Officials said Monday it could be days before the pilot of the plane is identified, the Tulsa World reports.

Perry Inhofe, like his father, was an avid flyer. He was a licensed pilot and instructor and he owned two planes through a Tulsa company called Anasazi Winds, the Atlantic reports.

The Oklahoma senator taught his son how to fly more than 30 years ago, according to General Aviation News. Perry Inhofe then taught his son, Cole, how to fly.

All three Inhofe men reportedly learned how to fly in the same Grumman Tiger, the Atlantic reports.

“Perry Inhofe, who was 52, worked as an orthopedic surgeon in Tulsa. His plane crashed five miles north of Tulsa International Airport on Sunday, towards the end of a 43-minute flight from Salina, Kansas," the report reads. "Shortly before the crash, Inhofe issued a request for immediate assistance."

Perry Inhofe (image source:  KOCO-TV)

“(A) pilot flying in the vicinity of the crash heard air traffic controllers say that Inhofe's plane experienced engine failure. But that, and even the identity of the pilot, have not yet been confirmed by officials,” it adds.

Senator Inhofe had just returned to work after undergoing emergency heart surgery earlier this year.

As of this writing neither the senator’s office nor his family has issued a statement on Perry’s passing.

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