Investigators remove plane wreckage from Madras Airport

Federal investigators are looking into why a biplane crashed, killing the pilot, during the Airshow of the Cascades at Madras Airport on Saturday.

The National Transportation Safety Board had the 1941 Stearman biplane’s wreckage moved from the Madras Airport’s main runway.

The pilot,Marcus Paine, 61, of Anchorage, Alaska, was pronounced dead at the scene. The Madras Municipal Airport was closed until Sunday afternoon as federal investigators began their investigation.

Airport Manager Robert Berg said he closed the airport because without runway lights, he didn’t want other private planes coming in and having an incident.

Brett Nelson said he’s taken his son to the air show every year, and both love the experience of watching the show.

But it turned deadly as he and his son watched Paine’s plane take off.

‘When the plane departed I thought, ‘He’s just really low.’ And when he came around, I thought, ‘Well, it’s part of the stunts.’ But he didn’t make the full circle around,” Nelson said Monday.

The Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office told NewsChannel 21 an autopsy was conducted on the pilot by the state medical examiner in Clackamas County. It’s not known if the results will be disclosed publicly.

Investigators are asking anyone who has photos/video of the crash to turn it in to help with the investigation.