VENICE, Fla. — A longtime member and former chief of the Sparta Township Fire Department was among two Agape Flights pilots killed after their aircraft lost contact over Haiti earlier this month, the humanitarian organization confirmed.
Agape Flights, a Venice, Florida-based nonprofit that provides humanitarian and mission flights to Haiti and other areas in need, said it lost contact with its Embraer 110 Bandeirante aircraft, tail number N316AF, on the afternoon of Feb. 5, 2026, over the mountains near Jérémie, Haiti. On Feb. 12, the organization confirmed that pilots Patrick Decker and Kory Elleby had died.
Decker was a 50-year member of the Sparta Fire Department and served as Chief of Department in 1996. He had also been a pilot for United Airlines for many years, completing a 40-year career with the airline.
Agape Flights described Decker as a devoted husband to his wife, Kathy, of 40 years and a proud father of two grown children. After moving to Florida about a decade ago, he became a volunteer pilot with Agape Flights nine years ago and also regularly assisted with cargo operations.
“Patrick was first and foremost a loving and dedicated husband to Kathy for 40 beautiful years and a proud father to their two grown children,” the organization said in a statement. “Service wasn’t something Patrick did. It was who he was.”
The Sparta Fire Department also issued a statement honoring Decker’s decades of service.
“God bless his family and friends as well as those of his fellow pilot who was also lost. We will miss Pat especially at our summer parades. Godspeed, Chief.”
Elleby flew with Agape Flights for eight years. He and his wife, Ruthie, relocated from Illinois to Venice, Florida, in 2016 and founded Sunshine Electrical Services Inc., serving the surrounding community.
“Kory flew with Agape Flights for eight years, and aviation was one of his greatest joys,” the organization said. “Kory carried a servant’s heart into every space he entered and often said that flying with Agape Flights was not simply a role, but his calling that he deeply cherished.”
Agape Flights said it is mourning the loss of both men.
“God called these men to serve, and they responded without hesitation,” the organization said. “Today, we grieve their loss and honor the lives they poured out in service to Him.”
No additional details about the crash were immediately available.
