Support Morgan Katnik's Road to Recovery

On September 8th, Morgan Katnik, a friend of mine and the son of 737-DEN Captain Kent Katnik, was seriously injured in an airplane accident. Morgan, a 1200-hour aerobatic and instrument flight instructor, experienced an engine failure in flight while ferrying a Citabria from Sacramento, California, to the western slope of Colorado. Morgan had to rely on his training and make split-second decisions in turbulence and gusty winds, and experienced an accelerated stall while clearing power lines at the last minute. This led to a near free fall, impacting the ground on the main gear in a nose-low attitude. He was able to clear out of the aircraft on his own despite having little feeling or movement in his legs, at which point bystanders and emergency response personnel arrived.

Morgan was rushed to the Rifle E.R., where doctors attended to his immediate injuries. Shortly thereafter, he was airlifted by helicopter to Grand Junction’s St. Mary’s Hospital due to the critical nature of his injuries. There, Morgan underwent an hours-long back surgery. He spent a week in the ICU, and the better part of another week elsewhere in that hospital, and was then transferred by air and ground ambulance to the Craig Hospital in Englewood, CO. Morgan spent the following 2+ weeks in inpatient care at the Craig Hospital, learning once again how to stand, walk, roll side to side in bed, and practice daily household tasks. His progress has been swift and the prognosis is great. Morgan has been working on walking and various exercises at home and goes back to Craig Hospital for outpatient care four times each week. Doctors expect Morgan to make a full and complete recovery in the upcoming months. Soon, he will be able to teach again and make progress toward his career goals of becoming an airline pilot.

Between ground and air transport, surgeries, and a variety of imaging over the nearly four weeks of inpatient hospital care Morgan received, his medical bills currently exceed $500,000. Fortunately, he has health insurance, which will likely cover the majority of his bills. Currently, the goal is set at $25,000 to help him start paying his portion of the bills. Anything you can do to help would be greatly appreciated. Thank you very much.