An 18-year-old pilot and his 27-year-old passenger escaped injury Sept. 1, after they were forced to crash-land their 1965 Cessna airplane into the Cispus River.
“These two young men are very lucky to be alive and to walk away without injuries,” Lewis County Sheriff Rob Snaza said Tuesday, after the sheriff’s office and assisting agencies found the two individuals near milepost 11 on Forest Road 23.
At about 12:18 p.m., the sheriff’s office received the initial report of an airplane that had crashed about 10 miles south of the Packwood area. Based on the coordinates provided, the sheriff’s office determined the single-engine plane had landed on or near the Cispus River.
Snaza said he arrived in the area at about 12:51 p.m. Another deputy was already on the scene. The U.S. Forest Service (USFS), Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife, Randle Fire & EMS and the Morton Police Department also responded to the crash.
As personnel searched the river, dispatch began relaying text messages sent from the plane’s occupants to 9-1-1. Snaza said the two men reported they could hear the sirens.
Personnel eventually located the Bainbridge Island residents.
According to Snaza, the plane, which landed in shallow water facing east, surrounded by a bed of rock, suffered “no real damage,” other than to its propeller.
The sheriff said the plane was not leaking any fuel after the crash.
“It was a great team effort by everyone involved,” Snaza said. “I really could not be more pleased with the outcome.”
According to Snaza, the plane was coming from Port Townsend. At about 4,000 feet, the plane experienced engine troubles. At about 3,000 feet, the pilot began making preparations to land.
“They both had experience in flying,” Snaza said.
The USFS will now act as the primary investigating agency, according to the sheriff. A subsequent news release from the sheriff's office stated the incident is being referred to the Federal Aviation Administration.
This report was first published by The Reflector Newspaper.
