Jerry Krause (missionary)
Jerry Krause is an American pilot who served for 22 years with Mission Aviation Fellowship as a missionary in Mali and the Democratic Republic of the Congo - after which he remained in Mali to work for the Sahel Aviation Service.
On April 7, 2013, Krause's plane was reported missing off the coast of West Africa, near São Tomé. His disappearance has generated national press coverage, as well as a social media and Internet-based campaign ("Find Jerry") to help locate him.
Life
Jerry Krause was born in Waseca, Minnesota, to Richard and Clarice Krause. His wife Gina was born in Wabash, Indiana; they married in 1982. In 1996, the couple moved to Mali with their three children, to serve as missionaries with the Mission Aviation Fellowship (MAF). Their children grew up in Mali, later returning to the United States for college.
After MAF pulled out of Mali in 2009, Jerry and Gina continued to live there, working for Bamako-based Sahel Aviation Service, a commercial air charter company that provides flight service throughout West Africa.
Disappearance
On April 7, 2013, Krause was in Johannesburg, South Africa, where his twin-engine Beechcraft 1900C 17-passenger airplane had finished undergoing maintenance and refurbishing. On his return trip, he landed in Ondangwa, Namibia to refuel. He departed from there at 10:20 am, intending to go to São Tomé, then Accra, Ghana, and arrive back in Bamako, Mali at 8:00 pm.
Krause's last check-in with the control tower was at 4:13 pm. He may have been 20 minutes away from São Tomé International Airport when his plane disappeared.[1] He was the only person on board.
Investigation
According to the Krause family, São Tomé aviation officials did not follow proper protocol, and waited 24 hours before reporting the plane's disappearance.[2] The family filed a missing persons report with the National Transportation Safety Board and the South African Civil Aviation Authority, after which military personnel joined the search. U.S. senators have also requested assistance from the State Department and Department of Defense.[3]
The fact that no plane wreckage has been found, leads the family to believe that Krause was ambushed or kidnapped after being forced to land in hostile territory.[4]
An Internet-based campaign was started by the family, to spread awareness of the situation; raise funds for necessary search equipment; encourage people to use any contacts they might have, to aid in the search; and to allow people to join in prayer for Krause. In addition to the FindJerry.com website, the Help Find Jerry Facebook page received more than 4,900 likes, within a few days of being set up.
The family has also offered a $5,000 reward for information leading to Krause's discovery.
References
- ↑ Marshall, Sara. "Missionary pilot, father of 2 students missing off the coast of Africa." The Huntingtonian. April 25, 2013.
- ↑ Faul, Michelle. "Family: 24-hour delay to report Minn. pilot missing near Africa." Associated Press. April 18, 2013.
- ↑ Olstad, Jay. "Waseca native missing in Africa." KARE 11. April 28, 2013
- ↑ Weber, Katherine. "Missionary Pilot Goes Missing En Route to Mali; May Have Been Captured." Christian Post. April 18, 2013.
