A week after accepting a full scholarship to play basketball at the University of Michigan, 16-year-old Austin Hatch is now fighting for his life following a plane crash.
Hatch, a high school junior from Fort Wayne, Ind., is in critical condition in a northern Michigan hospital after surviving a Friday evening plane crash that killed his father, 46-year-old Dr. Stephen Hatch, and his stepmother, Kim, reports The Associated Press.
Eight years earlier, Hatch and his father survived another plane crash that killed his mother, Julie, 38; sister, Lindsay, 11; brother, Ian, 5; and the family dog.
A standout forward for Fort Wayne prep school Canterbury, the 6-foot-6 Hatch committed to Michigan on June 15, the first day college coaches could begin contacting members of the class of 2013. Hatch said he received a call from Wolverines head coach John Beilein, who offered him a scholarship.
"It was a very special moment for me," Hatch told The Journal Gazette in Fort Wayne. "I kind of knew the offer was coming by the way they were talking. I had made the decision in my mind, so I committed. There was no reason to wait. There's nothing I don't like about their program, and I couldn't turn it down."
With Hatch's basketball plans now on hold, Beilein issued a statement on the fatal plane crash.
"We are saddened to hear about another tragedy that has affected the Hatch family," said Beilein. "Austin needs as much support right now as possible and I know he will be in the thoughts and prayers of the Michigan family during this difficult time."
Friday's crash occurred when Hatch, his father and his stepmother were flying to their summer home on Michigan's Waloon Lake. Stephen Hatch was piloting the single-engine plane that flew into a garage near Charlevoix Municipal Airport, the AP reports. The National Transportation Safety Board hopes to release a preliminary report on the crash within 10 days and a final report within 18 months.
In 2005, the NTSB determined that a lack of fuel forced Stephen Hatch to try and land his plane early during the Sept. 2003 crash that claimed the lives of Austin's mother and siblings. The NTSB report said the plane hit a utility pole – which Stephen likely did not see due to a low cloud ceiling and darkness — and upon reaching the ground, the plane burst into flames.
