An Odessa (TX) pilot was remembered Friday as a dedicated aviator and family man, after his Beech Bonanza B-36 (file photo of type, right) crashed near the Parker County Airfield in Weatherford (TX) Thursday night.

Wesley Morgan Hardin reportedly died when his Bonanza went down following a missed approach at Parker County. The weather was low, dark and rainy.

"Upon attempting to land, he missed his first approach," said Gary Rozzell, public information officer for the Mineral Wells (TX) Department of Public Safety. "While he was making his second approach, he became disoriented."

The FAA accident report, however, indicates Hardin told ATC he would do one missed approach, then head home to Odessa. He disappeared from radar around 6:00 pm CST Thursday.

Friday friends and family remembered Hardin as a man of faith. He was a pharmacist, owner of Odessa's University Pharmacy.

"He was one of the few old-school pharmacists in this town,” said Glenn Kennedy, a close personal friend. "You could call him at midnight, and he’d meet you. He was a servant and very service-oriented in his business. He was just a people person."

Hardin, his wife Holly and their sons, Brandon and Grayson, were named by the Samaritan Counseling Center of West Texas as Odessa's family of the year in 2002.

Wanda Peterson, who owns Pruett Aviation at Schlemeyer Field in Odessa (where Hardin kept his plane), had nothing but praise for the pharmacist-pilot. "He was just an all-around good person. He was just friendly to everybody. He was a super guy.

"I think everyone will miss him," she said. "He’s just that type of person."

FAA Preliminary Accident Report

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 725ZY        Make/Model: BE36      Description: 36 Bonanza
  Date: 01/16/2004     Time: 0010

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: N    Missing: N
  Damage: Destroyed

LOCATION
  City: WEATHERFORD                 State: TX   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT WAS CLEARED FOR AN APPROACH TO THE WEATHERFORD ARPT. PILOT STATED HE
  WOULD MAKE ONE ATTEMPT AND IF UNABLE HE WANTED TO GO TO ODS. ACFT MADE A
  MISSED APPROACH AND WAS CLEARED DIRECT TO ODS, MAINTAIN 60. ACFT WAS LOST
  ON RADAR SHORTLY AFTER. THE ACFT CRASHED AND WAS DESTROYED. THE PILOT
  SUFFERED FATAL INJURIES. WEATHERFORD, TX

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:           Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: KMWL 160019Z AUTO 14009KT 2SM RA BR 0VC002 14/14 A2998 RMK                 
                                                                                    
                                                        

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: HOUSTON, TX HOU             Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: WEATHERFORD ARPT.        Flt Plan: IFR          Wx Briefing: U
  Last Radio Cont: 
  Last Clearance: 

  FAA FSDO: FORT WORTH, TX  (SW19)                Entry date: 01/16/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov