From left: Perry Inhofe, Inhofe's grandson Cole Inhofe and Senator Jim Inhofe in Oshkosh, Wis., on Aug. 1, 2013.
Senator Jim Inhofe’s son, Perry Inhofe, has died in a plane crash, the U.S. Secretary of Defense confirmed on Monday.
The 51-year-old orthopedic surgeon was killed when his twin-engine aircraft crashed in a wooded area about 5 miles north of Oklahoma’s Tulsa International Airport on Sunday, Tulsa World reports.
Inhofe’s plane was on a 43-minute flight to Tulsa from Salina, Kansas when it went down, according to FlightAware. Air traffic controllers reported the plane experienced engine failure.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel expressed his condolences in a statement released Monday. “My thoughts and prayers are with Jim and Kay and their family as they mourn this terrible loss,” he said.