Murphy’s legacy in his children’s lives is not something the available public record addresses in depth. What can be said is that he left a family that survived him and that the financial settlement allowed them to establish themselves more securely than Murphy’s business ventures alone might have provided.
## The Aero Commander 680 Crash: Details
The plane crash of May 28, 1971, is documented in Federal Aviation Administration accident records and in the contemporaneous news reporting of the event.
The Aero Commander 680 was a twin-engine light transport aircraft produced by the Aero Design and Engineering Company, commonly called Aerojet-General after a corporate acquisition, and known simply as Aero Commander. It was a popular business aircraft of the period, used for executive transport and charter operations. The 680 model had a maximum range of approximately 1,500 miles and a cruise speed of approximately 200 miles per hour.
The specific flight on May 28, 1971, originated in Atlanta, Georgia, and was bound for Martinsville, Virginia, a small city south of Roanoke. Murphy and four business associates were aboard on a business trip related to, by some accounts, a construction project or investment venture. The specific nature of the business was not fully elaborated in the accounts consulted.
The weather conditions near Roanoke on that date were instrument meteorological conditions — clouds, rain, and limited visibility that required a pilot to navigate by instruments rather than by visual reference to the ground. The pilot of the aircraft, Vernon Hightower, did not hold an instrument rating. He was a visual flight rules pilot attempting an instrument flight.