Small plane crashes after takeoff from Sisters Eagle Airport, catches fire; all 3 people aboard escape serious injury
(Update: Crash witness comments, DCSO releases details; more info, photos)
SISTERS, Ore. (KTVZ) – A small plane crashed just after takeoff from the Sisters Eagle Airport late Sunday morning, but all three people aboard were able to climb out a window and escape with only minor injuries, officials and witnesses said. The plane caught fire after the crash, sparking a brush fire that crews were called out to extinguish.
The crash of the single-engine Cessna Skyhawk SP occurred shortly after 11 a.m. by the airport, located on Barclay Drive north of Sisters.
“Initial reports are the plane took off and crashed shortly after,” Jason Carr, the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office's public information officer, told KTVZ News.
“Three people got out and were okay,” Carr said, adding that Sisters-Camp Sherman Fire District crews responded to put out the resulting fire.
Carr later said in a news release that the pilot and two passengers managed to escape the plane before it became fully engulfed. They suffered minor injuries and were taken to St. Charles Bend for evaluation.
Deputies Jared Bearson and Tanor Steinbrecher were first on scene, quickly supported by Sergeant David Turkington and other sheriff's office personnel. Deputies secured the area and assisted the injured occupants until fire crews arrived.
Fire crews from the Sisters-Camp Sherman and Cloverdale fire districts responded rapidly, along with personnel from the U.S. Forest Service, Carr said, adding: "Their swift action prevented the fire from spreading to nearby trees or structures in the residential area."
“This was a textbook example of interagency partnership,” Carr said. “Our deputies, local fire districts, and the U.S. Forest Service all worked together seamlessly to protect lives and keep the situation from escalating. We’re grateful everyone walked away safely.”
Sisters-Camp Sherman Deputy Fire Chief Tim Craig told KTVZ News the two men and one woman aboard the plane were from out of the area. He said one man and the woman were assessed to be in good condition and the other man was in fair condition.
The cause of the crash is not known at this time, the DCSO spokesman said. The aircraft wreckage will remain in place pending an investigation by the Federal Aviation Administration.
An airport neighbor who shared dramatic photos of the crashed plane with KTVZ News told us he first heard “just a thud. I didn’t hear any plane in distress.”
Christine Browning, who lives along Deer Ridge Road, also shared photos after witnessing the end of the crash from her kitchen window. She told KTVZ News the plane apparently hit a tree across the street, then its nose hit the road before the plane flipped over and came to rest across her fence.
All three people who were aboard the plane escaped through a window before it caught fire, Browning said.
FAA flight records show the plane's registered owner was H&R Aviation LLC of West Linn, Oregon, and it was built in 2011. Online flight data indicates it arrived in Sisters Sunday morning from Aurora State Airport, near Portland, and was on the ground for about an hour before taking off again.
KTVZ News has reached out to the FAA and other officials for additional details and will update the story as we get more information. Join us on KTVZ News at 6:00 p.m. for the latest.
