Bend firefighter and his twin brother killed in small-plane crash at Idaho airport

(Update: Initial details on crash from FAA)

BEND, Ore. (KTVZ) -- A Bend firefighter and his twin brother were killed Monday morning in the crash of a small plane at an airport in Yellow Pine, Idaho, the agency and federal investigators announced.

Bend Fire & Rescue Engineer Daniel Harro, 38, was killed in the crash, Bend Fire officials said. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time and is under investigation by local authorities, they said.  

Harro and his twin brother, Mark, also a Bend resident, were returning to Bend from a backcountry camping trip near McCall, Idaho. Both men were killed, fire officials said.

Daniel was the plane’s pilot and an avid flight enthusiast. He is survived by his wife, Elisif.

The crash of the single-engine plane, an Aviat A-1A, occurred around 11:20 a.m. local (Mountain) time at the Johnson Creek Airport in Yellow Pine, Federal Aviation Administration Public Affairs Specialist Steve Kulm said.

Yellow Pine is a small town of about 30 residents east of McCall and about 200 miles east-northeast of Bend.

The plane, which received its airworthiness certificate in 1998, was registered to Hotel Victor LLC in Bend, FAA records showed.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate, with the NTSB in charge of the investigation.

“This is a devastating loss for our family.” said Bend Fire Chief Todd Riley. “Daniel was well-loved and well-respected by everyone who worked with him. We will miss his presence every day.” 

Harro, who had previously worked for the Scappoose Fire Department, began his career with Bend Fire on Jan. 13, 2014 as a firefighter/paramedic.

"Daniel quickly established himself as a proven leader, and became heavily involved with the Bend Fire & Rescue specialty Rescue Team as well as serving on the Bend Professional Firefighter’s Local 227 Executive Board," Bend Fire said in a news release, which continues below:

A strong paramedic, Harro worked with department administrators and physician advisors to assist in the updating of Emergency Medical Service (EMS) protocols, maintaining Bend Fire & Rescue as a top-level provider of emergency medical services in the state of Oregon.

The Bend Fire Department family is shocked and heartbroken by this tragedy. Bend Fire & Rescue administrative staff and Local 227 representatives are coordinating active member honor services for Engineer Harro with the Oregon Fire Service Honor Guard and the Harro family. 

NewsChannel 21's Noah Chast has reached out to family, friends and colleagues of the Harro brothers and will have an update tonight on NewsChannel 21.

If you were close to Daniel or Mark and would like to share your experiences with them, feel free to reach out to Chast at noah.chast@ktvz.com.