Tragedy takes lives of beloved local couple
Firefighters look on at the scene of a plane crash, Sunday, Aug. 8, 2021 in Victoria, Minn. Three people died when a single-engine plane crashed into a vacant lot and burst into flames in a small southeastern Minnesota city, a National Transportation Safety Board official said Sunday.(Aaron Lavinsky/Star Tribune via AP)
Jacob Mertes served as Lincoln County's planner and also worked in the county health department as an environmental health specialist. He also served with the Libby Volunteer Ambulance Service. (File photo)
Two Libby residents, known for their dedication to community service and a love for the outdoors, died in a plane crash in southeastern Minnesota over the weekend along with a relative.
Jacob Mertes, 42, and Dr. Sara Mertes, 37, a prominent and active local couple, were aboard a small aircraft piloted by Jacob Mertes’ stepfather, Dr. James Edney, 72, when it crashed late on Saturday afternoon, relatives told the Star Tribune. Officials said there were no survivors.
While investigators have yet to complete a preliminary investigative report on the crash, Mike Folkerts of the National Transportation Safety Board said parts of the plane’s tail, including its left elevator and left horizontal stabilizer, appeared to have come off in flight, according to the Associated Press.
“Without an elevator and a horizontal stabilizer, the aircraft is not flyable,” Folkerts told reporters on Sunday.
Colleagues and friends in Libby remembered Jacob and Sara Mertes as hard-working professionals and volunteers who took full advantage of Lincoln County’s recreational opportunities. Jacob Mertes headed the county’s planning department, worked with the health department as an environmental health specialist and served with Libby Volunteer Ambulance. Sara Mertes worked as a family practice doctor at Cabinet Peaks Medical Center and served on the Lincoln County Health Board.
Libby City Councilor Kristin Smith said Jacob Mertes moved to Libby roughly seven years ago. The two got to know each other as Smith served as Jacob Mertes’ planning advisor and mentor. Smith also became one of Sara Mertes’ patients after Sara Mertes joined the Cabinet Peaks Clinic Family Medicine in 2016.
Smith recalled Jacob and Sara Mertes meeting locally and sharing a love of hiking.
“It's just a very sweet love story,” said Smith. “If there’s anything good [in this] they were together in the end.”
Dr. Kelli Jarrett said Sara Mertes made a point of reaching out to her when Jarrett started work at Cabinet Peaks in 2018. The two quickly became friends, bonding over the fact that Jarrett had completed her medical fellowship in the same program Sara Mertes finished her residency.
Jarrett recalled Sara Mertes as being kind and dedicated to her community. When the coronavirus pandemic ramped up last year, Jarrett said Sara Mertes became heavily involved in provider meetings, helping to organize local public health responses.
“She was clearly concerned about doing the best thing for her patients and community,” Jarrett said.
Sabrina Spiger, who was one of Sara Mertes’ patients for four years, said she couldn’t have asked for a better doctor. She recalled how Sara Mertes diagnosed her husband with a heart condition that his previous providers had missed.
“He had been to millions of doctors,” Spiger said. “She was amazing.”
Jeff Holder, president of Libby Volunteer Ambulance, said Jacob Mertes completed his EMT class in 2014. While the two didn’t regularly take calls together, Holder remembered Jacob Mertes as being intelligent and light-hearted. He made a great first responder, Holder said, always taking part in meetings and pulling his call time.
“He will be missed, not only personally but also in the LVA family,” he said.
Holder recalled that Jacob and Sara Mertes had fully enjoyed their married lives, using their vacation time to explore different countries together.
County Administrator Pat McFadden said Jacob Mertes was a consummate professional who taught him a lot about the planning process. McFadden, a former Navy pilot, also counted Jacob Mertes among his friends, saying he bonded with him over their shared love of flight.
“We had many good conversations about our love of flying and technique and training,” he said.
County Commissioner Jerry Bennett (D-2) recalled Jacob Mertes as being organized and methodical. With the county seeing an increasing number of subdivisions, Jacob Mertes had been a fixture at commissioner meetings in recent months, often with reams of paperwork under his arm. Bennett said Jacob Mertes always provided him and other commissioners all with information they needed to make decisions.
“Jake and his infectious laugh will be missed,” he said. “My heart goes out to Jake’s and Sara’s friends, family and department.”
The Federal Aviation Administration said the couple and Jacob Mertes’ stepfather were flying from Alexandria Municipal Airport to Eden Prairie’s Flying Cloud Airport before 6 p.m. on Saturday when their plane crashed and burst into flames in Victoria, a city 25 miles southwest of Minneapolis.
Parts from the Mooney M20M fell in nearby yards and hit at least one house, the Star Tribune reported. Debris ignited a fire that bystanders quickly put out. No one on the ground or in the home was injured.
Officials with NTSB expect to complete a preliminary investigative report on the crash in about two weeks. A full report will take between 12 and 18 months. Inspectors are looking into all factors that could have led to the crash, including the pilot, the aircraft and the environment, the Associated Press reported.