Small plane crashes in slough near Snohomish; pilot hurt
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SNOHOMISH, Wash. - The 78-year-old pilot of a single-engine aircraft suffered head injuries Saturday when his plane came down in a watery slough just south of Harvey Field at Snohomish, officials said.
A Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokesman said the small plane came down Saturday at around 10 a.m. near the 9700 block of 111th Street SE.
Witnesses reported that the plane had apparently lost power and went down south of Harvey Field.
The plane clipped some trees before landing and came to rest in the water, but it was not completely submerged. Some local residents reportedly ran to the crash scene when they saw the aircraft come down and helped rescue the pilot.
The pilot, a 78-year-old Snohomish area resident, was taken to a local hospital by an aid crew with possible head injuries. He was conscious and alert but his full condition is unknown at this time.
The Environment Protection Agency has been notified to address possible contamination issues in the slough. The National Transportation Safety Board also has been notified and will be responding to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash.
The downed plane is a 1946 Republic RC3, a single-engine light aircraft. No other passengers were on board at the time of the incident and no one on the ground was injured.
A Snohomish County Sheriff's Office spokesman said the small plane came down Saturday at around 10 a.m. near the 9700 block of 111th Street SE.
Witnesses reported that the plane had apparently lost power and went down south of Harvey Field.
The plane clipped some trees before landing and came to rest in the water, but it was not completely submerged. Some local residents reportedly ran to the crash scene when they saw the aircraft come down and helped rescue the pilot.
The pilot, a 78-year-old Snohomish area resident, was taken to a local hospital by an aid crew with possible head injuries. He was conscious and alert but his full condition is unknown at this time.
The Environment Protection Agency has been notified to address possible contamination issues in the slough. The National Transportation Safety Board also has been notified and will be responding to conduct an investigation into the cause of the crash.
The downed plane is a 1946 Republic RC3, a single-engine light aircraft. No other passengers were on board at the time of the incident and no one on the ground was injured.
It was actually a miraculous crash: the plane never got altitude on take-off, hit the top of a cedar tree which spun it around down into the slough just a short distance away. The fact that the plane had just enough of the tail on the land to keep the cockpit floating for just enough time to get him out was a further miracle!!Â
On YouTube, there's a 5-minute interview with witness Kellie May from earlier in the day. Titled, "Snohomish Plane Crash / July 21, 2012. http://youtu.be/L289bT3a4MU
I worked on a few Seabees. They are heavy, and engine out have the glide ratio of a brick. But no doubt it's structural stoutness saved the pilots life.
Its now a Sloughplane. Good piloting skills as he chose a pretty good spot for the controlled crash..
This is an RC3 Seabee amphibious. Some may recall this from the James Bond movie, (The man w/ the golden gun). Scaramanga smokes the plane on the beach of his private island w/ his solar powered cannon.
rare case where the pilot is actually older than the aircraft .
Looks like a Seabee.
Maybe the pilot thought it was a float plane.
@Granny_MAC Looks like a Seabee.
 @Rentonav8r  @Granny_MAC It IS a seaplane.
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 @bagsofdirt  I know, I was being a wiseacre.Â
Thank goodness nobody got hurt. This is why we practice engine failure scenarios when we're learning to fly :D