A Woodland cataract and LASIK surgeon was one of three people killed in a plane crash in Southwest Washington.
The Lewis County sheriff’s office said nobody survived Monday’s crash. When a ground team reached the site about 10 miles northeast of Morton on Tuesday, it found the plane had disintegrated on impact in rugged terrain.
The three occupants of the plane have been identified as Dr. Paul Shenk, 69, of Woodland, Chehalis-Centralia Airport board member Ken Sabin, and Rod Rinta. Sabin piloted the plane. Rinta, a laser technician, is a Lewis County resident.
The pilot and two passengers took off from Chehalis for Lewiston, Idaho, in a plane registered to Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute in Chehalis. Doctors and surgery teams frequently fly out of Chehalis to one of the company’s other branches, which include Lewiston and Vancouver.
About 10 minutes into the flight, the pilot of the twin-engine Cessna radioed that he was turning back because he lost power in one engine.
Shenk is described as gentle, soft-spoken and kind in his profile on the clinic’s website. He had “excellent surgical skills” and a “broad level of experience,” according to the website.
Shenk grew up on a small farm in Western Washington and graduated from college with a degree in chemistry. He attended Loma Linda University School of Medicine in Loma Linda, Calif., and completed his ophthalmology residency at Letterman General Hospital in San Francisco.
After spending a year at Madigan Army Medical Center in Tacoma, Shenk worked in private practice in Vancouver for 20 years. He joined Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute in 1993.
Shenk enjoyed golfing, running and reading during his leisure time. He also volunteered his surgical skills on overseas missions to treat people in need of eye care.
“I hope in some small way my life and work are a positive witness,” he said on the clinic’s website.
Shenk leaves behind his wife, Kaye, who is a homemaker and artist, and four daughters: Susan, Lisa, Hannah and Rachel.
