SPOKANE— Autopsies show that two men killed when a small plane crashed into the Spokane River died of blunt impact chest injuries, the Spokane County medical examiner’s office said Friday.
The men who died Thursday have been identified as Lyndon Amestoy, 60, and Richard Runyon, 64. Officials did not know which man was the pilot. The men were underwater for about 30 minutes before divers pulled them free.
The plane, a Piper PA46, remained submerged in the river. A salvage company planned to bring in air bags that will be inflated to float the aircraft to the surface today so it can be dragged to shore, KXLY-TV reported.
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the cause of the crash. The men had reported engine trouble, and the pilot tried to make an emergency landing at Felts Field, a small public airport on the north bank of the river.