Tragedy hits Gearhart small plane collides with home

Carrie Bartoldus August 4, 2008

Gearhart, Or – According to a press conference held at Gearhard City hall, conducted by City Manager Dennis McNally and Mayor Kent Smith. At approximately 6:37 a.m. Monday, a single-engine plane carrying two people struck a residence at 398 N.Marion St. in Gearhart. The plane reportedly struck a tree, then hit the house. Witnesses say that a secondary explosion followed the impact about 20 seconds later.

The house was occupied at the time by a family who was renting the residence for a vacation. Six people, an adult female and five children, were in the home at the time of the crash. The adult and two of the children were removed from the home alive by rescue personnel. The adult was taken to Providence Seaside Hospital, then transported by Lifeflight to Emmanuel Burn Center in Portland. The children were transported to the trauma unit at Columbia Memorial Hospital in Astoria, then transported to Emanuel Hospital in Portland.

According to the press conference the bodies of two of the three children who were also in the house at the time of the crash have been recovered by the fire department personnel. Rescue crews were searching for the third at that time. It has been reported that the body of the third child has now been found.

None of the identities of the deceased or the three injured victims are being released at this time. Relatives have asked that their names not be made public at this point, and that they not be contacted by the media.

The two occupants of the airplance have been identified, but their names are being withheld pending notification of next of kin. The airplane is owned by Aviation Adventures of Seaside, which rented the plane to the pilot.

The plane’s two occupants have not been recovered. Rescue crews are waiting for investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration to inspect the site before retrieving the two people from the plane.

The City has been in contact with the Red Cross, which will have services available at City Hall beginning at 2 o’clock for people experiencing tauma or other after-effects from the incident.

Neighbors reported that they could not get through to the 911 dispatch when they attempted to call the accident, however the city manager stated that the 911 system was operational and that any problems getting through that people may have experienced was probably due to the fact that hundreds of people were calling at the same time.