Woodside man dies in plane crash Woodside man dies in plane crash (May 18, 2005)

** Death leaves twin sons bereft of parents.

By David Boyce

Almanac Staff Writer

A crash last week of a private plane in the mountains near Elko, Nevada, has taken the life of a Woodside man, leaving his twin 13-year-old sons bereft of parents.

Nicholas Sprinkel, 57, one of two victims of the crash, had been raising his sons as a single father following the loss of his wife, Pauline, about eight years ago to cancer. He was on his way to Salt Lake City to attend his aunt's funeral at the time of the crash.

"Everybody in the community loved the guy. He was so supportive of everybody's kids," said David Oke, a longtime Woodside friend and basketball coaching buddy. "We're all trying to get used to the idea of him not being here anymore."

The bodies of Mr. Sprinkel and Belmont resident Robert Howard, 59, were found Friday, May 13, near the wreckage of a light plane in a steep rocky wilderness area in the Ruby Mountains, about 325 miles east of Reno, said Elko County Sheriff Neil Harris. They were the only two people on board.

Rescuers initiated a helicopter search just before 5 p.m. on Thursday, May 12, upon news of a downed aircraft, said Sheriff Harris. They spotted the wreckage on the side of Lake Peak, which is about 10,600 feet in elevation, but bad weather prevented a rescue attempt.

The plane hit about 500 feet below the mountaintop, he said, adding that clouds are likely to have obscured the mountain peaks at the time of the crash.

The bodies were found the next day about 20 yards from the plane by rescuers who were taken to the area by helicopter, then snow-shoed to the site. The crash triggered a "sympathetic" avalanche, said Mr. Harris.

Both men were certified pilots, and it is still unclear as to who was piloting the plane, he said. The flight originated in San Carlos.

The cause of the crash won't be known until an investigation is completed by the National Transportation Safety Board. High altitudes, wind and icy weather make flying over the Ruby Range a tricky business, said Mr. Harris, a pilot himself.
A careful pilot

Nick Sprinkel "was one of my best friends in the community," said Mr. Oke, who added that he usually shot the bull with Mr. Sprinkel a couple times a week.

"He was a really exuberant kind of guy with a loud booming voice (and) a great laugh," he said in an interview. At basketball games, "He was always the loudest and most heartfelt cheerer in the stands."

Since the death of his wife -- a physician with a practice in Los Altos -- Mr. Sprinkel seemed to acquire an undercurrent of great sadness, said Mr. Oke. "He was a guy you could be real around. Not too much pretense going on there."

"He was a very careful pilot, in my estimation ... and always concerned about the weather," Mr. Oke said, adding that Mr. Sprinkel had a habit of flying with another pilot on board. "The confusing thing about this whole thing is that they were so very careful."

Mr. Sprinkel had made his money in a family business related to construction and had turned his interests to investing in real estate, said Mr. Oke. He was an experienced pilot who flew out of San Carlos Airport, he noted, adding that he believed that Mr. Sprinkel's plane was in the shop at the time of his departure last week, and that he may have hired a plane and pilot for this trip.
Coping with loss

The Sprinkel boys have relatives nearby and in Los Angeles, said Mr. Oke.

"Everyone's really concerned about the kids and making sure there's continuity for them," he said, adding that his son plays basketball with Mr. Sprinkel's sons. "They're pretty strong, they're pretty wise, but I imagine they're hurting real bad."

The accident that claimed their dad's life comes on the heels of another traumatic experience for the twins. On December 26, they were packing up to leave a hotel in Phuket, Thailand, when the tsunami hit. They were staying on the top floor and escaped injury, said Mr. Oke, but were caught up in the ensuing chaos after the waves retreated.

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