N.C. Crash Claims the Life of GNC Exec

PITTSBURGH--General Nutrition Centers (GNC) lost one of its top executives in the crash of Air Midwest Flight 5481, which happened in Charlotte, N.C., Jan. 8. Keith Coyner, vice president of product development, was one of the 21 passengers and crew on board the flight that was heading for Greenville, S.C.

According to the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review (www.pittsburghlive.com), Coyner, 46, is survived by a wife and three children ranging in ages from 18 to 25. He began at Pittsburgh-based GNC in 1981; in 2001, he relocated to Boca Raton, Fla., to work at the Product Development Group for Royal Numico, which owns GNC, Rexall Sundown and Unicity Network.

Relatives remember Coyner as being outgoing, hard-working and kind. James Sander, GNC senior vice president and chief legal officer, told the paper that the Pittsburgh office closed early Wednesday after learning of Coyner's death.

"GNC mourns the death of one of its valued and devoted employees," GNC said in a release. "We extend our deepest sympathy to Keith's family and friends, and to the families of the others affected by this tragedy."

As of press time, U.S. Airways (which operates Air Midwest) did not know and could not speculate what had happened to Flight 5481; the matter is currently under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.