with 25.16% of the statewide vote. Seven other candidates including Kansas City, Missouri Mayor Charles Wheeler split the remaining 4 percent of the vote. Death Litton won the primary but died on August 3, 1976, along with his entire family (wife Sharon and their two children, Linda and Scott), pilot Paul Rupp Jr., and the pilot's son, Paul Rupp III, as they departed the airport for a victory party in Kansas City. Their plane, a Beechcraft Model 58 Baron, crashed on take-off from the Chillicothe airport shortly after 9 p.m. on election night. The investigation into the crash determined the twin-engine plane broke a crankshaft in the left engine. The plane was about 100 to 150 feet above the runway 14, which was the airport's only hard surfaced runway, when the engine failed. The plane veered to the left and crashed rapidly into a soybean field, where it exploded on impact, burning all victims beyond recognition. The NTSB reported that the pilot did not retract the wheels when the engine cut off and that this contributed to the sudden loss of control. The report said the plane had been airborne for only 19 seconds before striking the ground. The plane was owned by Rupp Automotive, which was the car parts store owned by Rupp. The State Democratic Committee held a vote on a new nominee on August 21 and Hearnes defeated Missouri State Treasurer Jim Spainhower, garnering 63.3% of the vote. Hearnes lost the general election to Missouri Attorney General John Danforth, who garnered 56.93% of the vote. A museum of Litton memorabilia was made in the Jerry L. Litton Visitor Center near the dam at Smithville Lake in Smithville, Missouri. See also List of United States Congress members who died in office (1950–99) References External links Death of Missouri Winner Roils Democratic Politics More on Congressman Litton Congressional biography Litton Center, Smithville, MO |- 1937 births 1976 deaths Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in 1976 Victims of aviation accidents or incidents in the United States University of Missouri alumni Ranchers from Missouri People from Daviess County, Missouri Accidental deaths in Missouri Democratic Party members of the United States House of Representatives from Missouri 20th-century American politicians People from Chillicothe, Missouri