New details released in deadly small plane crash in Battle Ground
Crash occurred Sept. 26
UPDATE:
On Dec. 30, the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office determined Shaffer’s cause of death to be blunt trauma as a result of the accident, also confirming that he was the pilot.
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CLARK COUNTY Wash. (KPTV) - The name of a 76-year-old man who died in a small plane crash at an airstrip in Battle Ground last week was released on Wednesday by the Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office.
The medical examiner said Kenneth Shaffer of Trout Lake, Wash. died on Sept. 26. He was in a Cessna C172 that crashed near the Goheen Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
Officials with Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue said they responded just after 1 p.m. to an “aircraft emergency,” and found a single-engine aircraft engulfed in flames at the end of an airstrip.
Firefighters put the fire out and stopped it from spreading to nearby trees and bushes, but were not able to find any survivors, firefighters said.
Just after 5 p.m., the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said they believe at least one person was on board, who died in the crash. Authorities have not said if anyone other than Shaffer was in the plane.
The crash will be investigated by the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The ME’s office said they are still working to confirm Shaffer’s cause of death.
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