Shortly before 7 p.m., multiple callers to 911 reported seeing a small airplane spiraling towards the ground and crashing near North Cedar Street in Newberg. Firefighters were dispatched to the scene and located the airplane which had crashed through the roof of a residential home and had come to rest partially in the home and part of the backyard.
Initially, firefighters confirmed two occupants were inside the plane. One of the occupants was pronounced deceased on scene. Firefighters extricated the other patient from the plane, and they were taken by Life Flight helicopter to a Portland trauma hospital with serious injuries. As crews were able to gain additional access to the aircraft, they discovered a third occupant in the aircraft who was also deceased.
No one on the ground or near the home were injured when the plane crashed. When the first responders arrived, there were no indications of anyone inside the home. Firefighters performed multiple searches of the residence and confirmed no occupants. Subsequent interviews with the homeowners revealed that there were multiple people inside the home when the plane crashed, but they were all able to evacuate safely. The Red Cross was activated to provide assistance to the family who has been displaced from the residence.
TVF&R’s Technical Rescue Team and Urban Search and Rescue crews were activated to help manage the scene and ensure the structural stability of the home. Crews were also prepared to engage in fire suppression in the event the aircraft and home caught fire. Luckily, the aircraft and home never caught fire.
The Newberg- Dundee Police Department is working in conjunction with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board on an investigation into the cause of death and what lead to the plane crashing into the home.
TVF&R was assisted on scene by numerous agencies including the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, Dundee Fire, Dayton Fire, Portland General Electric, Northwest Natural Gas, the Federal Aviation Administration, and the National Transportation Safety Board.