Update: Pilot killed in crash had years of experience

Update: Pilot killed in crash had years of experience

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Story Published: May 10, 2008 at 5:20 PM PDT

Story Updated: Nov 20, 2008 at 7:39 PM PDT

By KOMO Staff

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COVINGTON - The day after a small plane crashed into a home here, the family of the woman whose house was hit began cleaning up the wreckage and new revelations unfolded about the pilot who died in the crash.

Friends said the 69-year-old pilot had many years of experience flying private planes and commercial airliners. And his neighbor told KOMO News that he was a retired Boeing employee who spent decades delivering planes around the world for the company.

Federal Aviation Administration records also show that the pilot had a long list of certificates to back up his expertise. He had flown the kit aircraft that crashed for more than a decade, and was extremely familiar with it.

The FAA now is looking into reports that the plane started sputtering after it took off from a nearby private airfield, and will be interviewing witnesses who saw the crash.

Meanwhile, the family of Rosemary Devino, whose home suffered major damage in the crash, began boarding up the gaping holes in the walls left where the plane plowed into the home.

Devino was left in shock Friday in the hours after the crash. But today she and her children are determined to rebuild after the crash.

She told reporters she was sitting in her living room watching TV when there was a horrendous crash and explosion.

"The ceiling (and) inside tiles started falling down so I got into the corner," Devino said. "And I called 911, and she just said, 'Get out of the house!'"

Devino didn't need to be told twice. She fled from the home in shock. But she was uninjured, and on Saturday her children were at her house to support her in any way they could.

At the same time, the Devino family is in mourning over the death of the pilot.

"That's hitting a little more because father, son - whatever he is - that's where my thoughts are because mom survived and she's tough," said Devino's daughter, Nickie.

In the wake of the crash, officials said the pilot was properly licensed to fly the plane that went down.

Now it's up to the experts to determine what went wrong to cause this tragic accident.

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