NTSB gives update on Fairview plane crash investigation

PORTLAND Ore. (KPTV) - On Tuesday morning, an investigator with the National Transportation Safety Board, along with local authorities, gave an update on Saturday’s plane crash in Fairview.

At a news conference, Air Safety Investigator Michael Hicks with the NTSB said the Cessna 421C took off at 10:25 a.m. on a maintenance test flight. Soon after the pilot reported “controllability issues.” Seconds later, a nearby helicopter pilot reported that the plane had crashed.

Hicks said finding out what those issues were could take up to 18 months. “We have work to do,” Hicks said, “and we are going to do it diligently.”

The elements the NTSB said they will investigate include:

• Flight track data
• Recordings of any air traffic control communications
• Aircraft maintenance records
• Weather forecasts and actual weather and lighting conditions around the time of the accident
• Pilot’s license, ratings and recency of flight experience
• 72-hour background of the pilot to determine if there were any issues that could have affected the pilot’s ability to safety operate the flight
• Witness statements
• Electronic devices that could contain information relevant to the investigation
• Any available surveillance video, including from doorbell cameras

The plane hit power lines on its way down, causing about 22,000 PGE customers to lose power for several hours on Saturday. The pilot, a passenger on the plane, and a woman in a townhome that was struck died in the crash.

One of the family’s GoFundMe’s can be found here.

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The names of the dead have not yet been released. Hicks said the medical examiners office is still working to officially confirm their identities.

Anyone who witnessed the accident or has video of the crash is encouraged to contact the NTSB at witness@ntsb.gov.