Oregon Plane Crash: Police Searching for More Casualties
A midair collision between two small planes in Oregon on Tuesday at 4 p.m. has left one person dead, but police fear a second body may be missing.
One of the planes involved in the accident managed to make an emergency landing, but the second one crashed and burned, leaving only wreckage. Yamhill County authorities reported that the incident occurred at Champoeg State Park, with the second aircraft crashing north of the Williamette River.
The plane appears to have been large enough for six people, but so far only one body has been discovered. The aircraft was badly disintegrated, and now investigators are trying to determine whether there were any other casualties.
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According to reports, the first plane collided with the rear end of the plane that crashed, sending it spiraling nose-first into the trees, after which it burned up.
Capt. Ken Summers of Yamhill County said that the plane that managed to make a landing was practicing emergency descent drills and was operated by a student pilot. The pilot and the passenger appeared shaken, but were unharmed and did not require medical treatment.
Residents in the local area shared with The Oregonian that they had felt the tremors from the crash, believing them to be an earthquake at first.
One man who was out camping at the park reported to have seen the crash happen: "I heard this loud 'BAM!' overhead, like cars colliding. So I look up, and there's a white and turquoise small plane, and a larger dark plane -- and a big cloud of debris and fluttering paper," said Peter Asai, a resident of Springfield, OR.
Summers said that officers are conducting interviews and trying to get more information on the crash and on the people on board the plane that burned down, but have not come out with a full passenger list yet
