Twin Tigers Memorial Fund

On Saturday, January 25, 2020, an award-winning aerobatic pilot, Mark Nowosielski, and a young 13-year old aspiring aviator, Nathan Sorenson, perished in an aircraft incident in Senoia, Georgia.  They passed away doing what they loved most:  flying.  But their families are left to deal with their tremendous loss.

Mark hailed from South Africa and resided in Ocala, Floria.  He was a long-time member of the U.S. Unlimited Aerobatic Team and one half of the award-winning Twin Tigers Aerobatic Team.  His full time job was as a Boeing 737 pilot for Southwest Airlines.



His passenger, 13-year old Nathan Sorenson, was the son of Mark Sorenson, the owner and lead pilot of the Twin Tigers Aerobatic Team, and also a Boeing 737 pilot for Southwest Airlines.  Like his father, mother, brother and airshow friends, Nathan was “bit by the aviation bug” and loved planes.  He was a fun-loving boy who dreamt of flying air shows and following in his Daddy’s footsteps.

The Mustang II aircraft had just taken off from the Sorensons’s home airport before the crash.

Mark Nowosielski’s family resides in South Africa and is coming to the U.S. to deal with their loss and make funeral arrangements.  

The town of Senoia, where the accident happened, is mostly known for many film and TV shows, most notably The Walking Dead.  But what makes Senoia even more special is its’ people.  Within 24 hours, the community raised over $2000 to help the Nowosielskis with travel and living expenses upon their arrival in the U.S.  

We would like to further support the families and offer the opportunity to establish a Scholarship Fund, to be used by the Sorenson and Nowsielski families as they see fit.

We thank you for your support.  These families will be forever grateful.

Who am I?  
My name is Dave Buck and I’m a resident of Senoia, Georgia where the accident occurred.  I am a pilot (Delta Captain) and know the Sorenson’s through the airshow business.  I began collecting funds for our neighbors via a Facebook group that I manage that has over 3000 members.  Within 24 hours we raised $2000 to help the families with immediate financial needs.  The money went to the Nowosielski family, who was traveling for South Africa to the USA to mourn with the other family and make funeral/memorial service arrangements, as well as transporting Mark’s body if they decide to bring him back to Africa.  But in the process, many people began contacting me wanting to help.  And the campaign began to grow.  So much so that I knew a GoFundMe campaign would be necessary to not only manage the donation traffic but also give people peace of mind in donating.  Local Atlanta news outlets picked up the story and the donations are coming in.

*What will this money be used for?
The families have to handle the funeral expenses for the two who lost their lives, and they will use the funds between them to handle those expenses.  Additionally, they havetalked about forming a scholarship fund in Mark and Nathan’s memory. 

 *How can I be sure that all the money will go to the families?

Great question!  After GoFundMe takes their 2.9% administrative fee, all remaining money will be directly withdrawn by the Sorenson’s via their being the beneficiary, as required by GoFundMe.  There are protections in place by GoFundMe to ensure that the money will be received by the people that the campaign promises it will go to, and they coordinate with the beneficiary to get bank account information, etc. required for withdrawals.  And, quite frankly, I’d rather not deal directly with the money anyway.  

Once the campaign money is withdrawn, I will close the campaign so no further donations can be made.