Crime & Safety
1 Dead As Fixed-Wing Plane Crashes In Oregon
BREAKING: The plane, registered to Mark Rich of Menlo Park, crashed near people who were gathering to watch the eclipse, the FAA says.
MADRAS, OR — Officials with the National Transportation Safety Board on Monday identified the Menlo Park, California, man who crashed his fixed-wing, single engine aircraft into Willow Creek Canyon Aug. 19.
Mark James Rich was killed Saturday afternoon when his home-built airplane crashed, federal aviation and central Oregon emergency management officials said. The fixed-wing, single-engine Wheeler Express crashed at about 2 p.m. in Willow Creek Canyon near Madras, Oregon, where people were gathering to watch Monday's solar eclipse.
FAA spokesman Keith Holloway said Rich's plane went down about 1.5 miles south of Madras Municipal Airport. The plane crashed on approach, Holloway said.
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Flames engulfed the plane and it was completely destroyed, according to emergency officials. The flames started a small fire that was quickly extinguished.
The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will be investigating the crash.
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— By Bay City News Service, with additional reporting by Travis Loose, Oregon Patch Editor
Photo Courtesy: Central Oregon Emergency Information Network