VAN BUREN COUNTY, Ark. — A tragic plane crash in the Ozark Mountains claimed the life of 68-year-old Robert Phillips Mathis of Corinth, Mississippi, on Tuesday afternoon. Van Buren County Judge Dale James reported that the crash occurred around 2 p.m. in Stone County while Mathis’s Beach Barron aircraft was en route from Fayetteville, Arkansas, to Corinth. The aircraft reportedly began a rapid descent before the crash.
The search for the downed plane spanned four hours and involved Blackhawk helicopters, Survival Flight, Arkansas Forestry personnel, rappelling, and challenging terrain navigation. Eventually, crews located the wreckage and confirmed Mathis’s death.
Judge James expressed condolences to Mathis’s family on social media, sharing, “I wish the whole county could meet and know the family of Phil Mathis, who perished in the plane crash yesterday. You couldn’t hope to find a better bunch. Phil was a father of three sons and the grandfather of 8. He left behind a loving and lovable wife. Phil loved his family deeply, and they were extremely close.”
In his post, James encouraged the community to show their support for the Mathis family, adding that the family would be viewing the comments “like an online card from us all.”
The tragic accident has drawn an outpouring of support from both Van Buren and Stone counties as they mourn alongside the Mathis family, united in honoring the life of a beloved husband, father, and grandfather.