Two people killed in Pasco washington June 24th at plane crash. A floatplane struck power lines spanning the Columbia River near Kennewick’s Clover Island, causing the plane and live cables to fall into the water.
Multi-Agency River Rescue Response
The plane eventually flipped over in the river and was carried downstream before Pasco fire crews used a boat to secure it and prevent its movement, the Tri-City Herald reported.
Multiple agencies were involved in the flood response, including the Franklin County Sheriff’s Office, Benton County Sheriff’s Office, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue Team and the U.S. Coast Guard.
Onshore, Pasco police secured the area and processed on-site documentation, while the Washington State Patrol assisted with coordination. Pasco police released a statement following the incident. “We are dealing with a series of incidents near the river. Please avoid the area, conserve water where possible and treat any non-operational signal as a four-way stop,” they said.
About two hours after the accident, a Lampson crane was used to recover the plane from the water, which appeared to be largely intact. About 20 police and fire brigade personnel were at the scene to deal with the incident.
The Pasco administration noted in an earlier post, “Update 6:20 p.m.: The water conservation requirement has been lifted. Thank you for your understanding and patience while crews restore power to the pump station and Butterfield Water Treatment Plant. Pasco: Please conserve water. Due to an emergency near the cable bridge and power outage, we ask residents to avoid the area and conserve water. We will update when possible.”
Damaged wiring causes fire
Authorities also reported that a damaged power line started a fire in a vacant lot near Riverview Park and caused widespread outages to homes, businesses and traffic signals in parts of Pasco, NBA Tri-Cities reported.
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Kennewick police and fire personnel managed downed power lines on Clover Island with additional support from agencies across the river.
The flight did not appear to have originated from Richland or Pasco airports, officials added.
A video from a local news channel showed thick smoke billowing from the distance after the crash.
Aircraft ownership under review
Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGarry confirmed that two bodies were recovered from the wreckage and said autopsies were underway.
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His office is currently working with the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) as the investigation continues.
A review of the plane’s tail number showed the plane had multiple owners, and registration records linked it to an address in Sonoma, California.
Vessel enters restricted area
The Benton County Sheriff’s Office urged boaters to avoid rivers in the affected areas Wednesday afternoon as emergency crews responded.
Meanwhile, there was heavy traffic congestion on the rope bridge about an hour after the accident, causing significant delays in the area.
Around 3:30 p.m., the Benton PUD deployed a boom truck to the river in an attempt to restore power after the outage, which affected more than 11,000 customers in the area.
