News : Vinton airman Dan Hummel still remembered, 32 years after fatal crash

Dan Hummel: Vinton native died in 1983 Navy F-14 training exercise.

Dan Hummel served as a navigator on an F-14 until his death in 1983.

As we at Vinton Today continue to compile our list of veterans – our attempt to honor those who have served their country, we often receive information about soldiers, sailors and airmen who have not been added to that list.

This week, an email from Sweden shared the story about one such veteran, U.S. Navy Ensign Dan Hummel.

Hummel, the son of Kyle and Shirley Hummel of Vinton, died March 17, 1983, in an accident training accident while serving as a Navigator on an F-14 fighter jet.

Hummel was the navigator on the fighter, which collided with another F-14 during a training exercise near Puerto Rico. The Navy crews had been part of the CVN-69, the nuclear-powered aircraft carrier commonly known as the U.S.S. Dwight D. Eisenhower. While both airmen from the other F-14 safely ejected, Hummel and his crew mate, Lt. Cmdr. Kenneth W. Pritchard, perished in the collision.

After graduating from high school in Vinton, Hummel attended the University of Central Missouri, where he was a member of the Sig Ep Fraternity.

“Dan died doing exactly what he wanted to do…in a jet, going fast, serving his country and no doubt I can imagine a big grin on his face every time the catapult launched him, and they hit the afterburners going straight up,” said Bruce Uhler, one of Hummel’s Sig Ep brothers. “Flying an F-14 Tomcat is a long way from his days flying a Cessna 152 in college but we know Dan enjoyed every second when he was in the air.”

The passing of time has helped Uhler remember Hummel better, and also understand the sacrifice he and his family made for their country. Uhler’s son, a Marine Infantry sergeant, returned from Aghanistan in 2014, at about the same age Hummel was when he died.

“Dan’s fraternity brothers, like myself, are all about the age as his parents were when Dan gave his life,” said Uhler. “Getting older puts a ‘full circle’ perspective to what military families like the Hummels endure and the sacrifices they make.In a small way we can try to comprehend what the Dan’s family and friends endured,” he said.

Another college friend and roommate was Kevin Visser.

Now a lawyer in Cedar Rapids, Visser says Hummel gave him his first introduction to Iowa.

"Dan is one of the most memorable people I have ever known," said Visser. "He introduced me to his, in Iowa, which I hardly knew would become my own home.

Hummel was at the same time very serious and very funny, says Visser.

"Dan had an infectious enthusiasm which attracted people to him, and a very determined focus on flying. He had a catchy phrase for every situation, several of which could perhaps be printed in your publication though none of those quickly come to mind. Life was a dare to Dan Hummel, and he took that dare every day he lived. Dan’s quick smile was disarming, but his serious intent could never be questioned. Dan was a serious student, which perhaps made it all the more enjoyable when he cut loose in a decidedly unabashed fashion---his climbing of the local airport tower (at night) was a signature move, with a talismanic effect on the local co-eds he conscripted to accompany him," his friend recalls. "Dan’s sincerity was the foundation of his charm. He was an individualist, yet always a man in whose company one would be proud to be. I think of him often and miss him greatly."

Hummel’s father, Kyle, was serving in the Iowa House at the time of the accident. Rep. Hummel learned of his son’s death while in Des Moines; an Iowa Highway Patrol Trooper drove him home to Vinton.

See a tribute page to Ensign Dan Hummel HERE.