MANHATTAN MYSTERY

Topeka Capital-Journal, The, Sep 13, 2004 by Matt Moline Capital-Journal

MANHATTAN --- On June 21, 1984, two Manhattan businessmen who jointly owned a twin-engine Cessna 414 aircraft flew out to Colorado for an impromptu golf get-away in Colorado Springs.

But when Phil Woodward and Bernie Butler arrived at the airport for the return flight to Kansas the next day, the pair was told the plane --- and the pilot --- had taken off without them.

A subsequent check of FAA records indicated the plane refueled during a stopover in Wyoming later that day.

Not until a few weeks later did the owners learn the plane had proceeded to another brief stop at Corvallis, Ore., based on credit card receipts that arrived after the end of the month, according to Roger Sink, Woodward's Manhattan accountant.

"Then it left Corvallis, and no one has had any communication or found the plane since," Sink said.

The story behind the disappearance of the plane --- and veteran Manhattan pilot Jim Moore --- will be featured at next month's Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave.

The three-day conference begins Oct. 1, hosted by the Manhattan Library Association at the Holiday Inn Manhattan.

Retired Kansas State University history professor Robin Higham will present the Cessna mystery at one of the conference's interest sessions, "Manhattan law enforcement and real Manhattan mysteries," scheduled for 3:25 to 4:10 p.m. on Oct. 2.

As of Friday, the conference had attracted registrations from more than 100 mystery novel fans and budding writers from 20 states, participants who will also have an opportunity to rub shoulders and listen to the literary exploits of 50 professional mystery writers, including Jeanne Dams, of South Bend, Ind., Carolyn Wheat, of San Diego, and Kansas author Nancy Pickard, of Prairie Village.

Higham has theorized the Manhattan-based Cessna --- and its pilot - -- might have been commandeered by hijackers for use in international drug smuggling operations between the United States and Mexico.

"I don't know what kind of life expectancy a plane in the drug trade might have," he said, "but probably only a few missions before they run out of fuel or crash while trying to evade radar detection."

Higham said he will ask participants at the conference's real- life mystery session to consider a number of possible scenarios to complete the story of the mysterious Cessna.

"You might invent a scenario that includes repainting the plane at some remote spot in California," he said. "And then the plane is flown on down to Mexico, skimming the Pacific Ocean at low altitudes, only to crash and disappear forever."

The Great Manhattan Mystery Conclave is scheduled for Oct. 1-3 at the Holiday Inn Manhattan. It is sponsored by the Manhattan Library Association in observance of the public library's centennial. The cost is $165 per participant. Proceeds will benefit the Manhattan Public Library. To register or for information, contact Marolyn Caldwell at marolync@flinthills.com.

Matt Moline is a freelance writer in Manhattan. he can be reached at moline@networksplus.net.