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Relatives Identify Pilot Killed In Covington Plane Crash
POSTED: 5:19 pm PDT May 9,
2008
UPDATED: 5:47 pm PDT May 11,
2008
COVINGTON, Wash. -- A Thorp T-18 aircraft crashed into a house in Covington, killing the pilot, according to the King County Sheriff’s Office.The plane slammed into the house moments after taking off from the Crest Airpark around 5 p.m. Friday.Relatives identified the pilot as 69-year-old Roger Thompson. His family said he had more than 25 years of experience, flying everything from small planes to Boeing jets.
VIDEO: Wife Of Covington Pilot Says 'He Loved That Plane'
VIDEO: Eyewitnesses Say Plane Was Upside Down Before Crash
VIDEO: Woman Inside Home At Time Of Crash
SLIDESHOW: Pieces Of Plane Scattered In Yard After CrashAn 81-year-old woman was home at the time, she was not hurt. Her daughter told KIRO 7 she was able to call 911.Firefighters responded to the scene within two minutes, managing to keep the flames from spreading to the house.Eyewitnesses said the plane turned upside down as the pilot tried to return to the runway after the engine died. Then, it plunged to the ground.Only the pilot was onboard the plane and he died at the scene."There is a truism in aviation. Altitude is life insurance and he didn’t have altitude," said the pilot’s wife Doris Thompson to KIRO 7.The crews will bring the pieces of the wreckage to a hanger, so federal investigators can inspect them for clues.Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will look into the actual cause of the crash.The Thorp T-18 is classified as an experimental aircraft; it used what’s called visual flight rules.
VIDEO: Wife Of Covington Pilot Says 'He Loved That Plane'VIDEO: Eyewitnesses Say Plane Was Upside Down Before CrashVIDEO: Woman Inside Home At Time Of CrashSLIDESHOW: Pieces Of Plane Scattered In Yard After CrashAn 81-year-old woman was home at the time, she was not hurt. Her daughter told KIRO 7 she was able to call 911.Firefighters responded to the scene within two minutes, managing to keep the flames from spreading to the house.Eyewitnesses said the plane turned upside down as the pilot tried to return to the runway after the engine died. Then, it plunged to the ground.Only the pilot was onboard the plane and he died at the scene."There is a truism in aviation. Altitude is life insurance and he didn’t have altitude," said the pilot’s wife Doris Thompson to KIRO 7.The crews will bring the pieces of the wreckage to a hanger, so federal investigators can inspect them for clues.Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board will look into the actual cause of the crash.The Thorp T-18 is classified as an experimental aircraft; it used what’s called visual flight rules. Copyright 2008 by KIROTV.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.
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