Local doctor killed in small plane crash

ATHENS, Tennessee(WDEF) –  The staff at Starr Regional Medical Center is going through a tough and emotional time after learning one of their own doctors died in a fiery plane crash in Massachusetts.

"It’s a very difficult time. We learned about this very late last night, and we got confirmation this morning from my staff. He was such as an integral part of our emergency department, community and and our hospital that the staff is devastated," said Emergency Room Nursing Director Neal Johns.

Johns was a long-time friend and colleague of Dr. Rick Kalister. Kalister was the pilot of a Beechcraft B-E 36 that crashed into a Plainville Massachusetts home on Sunday.

According to initial reports, the plane may have lost power in the engine before it crashed.

"He was a great pilot. I’ve flown with him many times and he was absolutely amazing," Johns said.

Dr. Kallister was not only an emergency room physician, he was also emergency room medical director at Starr Regional Medical Center who also took on other responsibilities outside the hospital.

"He was also the emergency medical director of of our local ambulance service; AMR. He was also part of the McMinn County Sheriff’s Office and with the Athens Police Department," Johns said.

Dr. Kalister and his family had traveled to the Northeast so that his daughter could visit a college in the Boston area.

"She chose a private facility in Boston. Dr. Kalister and his wife were taking her up there for her orientation and to look for an apartment," Johns said.

Dr. Kallister’s wife Betty and their daughter also died in the crash.

The NTSB is now investigating what happened.