Plane crash survivor gets 5th year at high school

FORT WAYNE, Ind. (AP) — A Fort Wayne basketball standout who survived a Michigan plane crash that killed his father and stepmother has been granted an extra year of high school eligibility.

An Indiana High School Athletic Association spokesman said Wednesday the move by Commissioner Bobby Cox means Austin Hatch can play two more seasons. Hatch didn't play basketball at Canterbury High last season while recovering from injuries sustained in the June 24, 2011, plane crash near the Charlevoix Municipal Airport in Michigan. Hatch also survived a plane crash eight years earlier that killed his mother.

Hatch made a verbal commitment to play basketball at the University of Michigan before the crash.

IHSAA spokesman Jason Wille says the IHSAA rarely approves fifth years of eligibility.