The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the plane crash southeast of La Center on Monday that killed two people on board.
NTSB spokesman Peter Knudson said the plane was a Vans RV-6, a small aircraft constructed from a kit. The plane is classified as experimental and registered to a Camas resident, according to Federal Aviation Administration records. It was manufactured in 1990, records say.
An investigator is headed north from Arizona, Knudson said. There was no timeline for when they would arrive, but the agency generally shows up and starts examining crash sites within 24 hours, he said.
The Clark County Medical Examiner’s Office plans to identify the victims of the crash by Thursday, according to a Clark County Public Health spokeswoman.
A pilot flying over the area reported seeing the crash site at 4:11 p.m. in a marshy area south of the East Fork Lewis River at the dead end of Bjur Road off Northeast 269th Street, according to a news release from the Clark County Sheriff’s Office.
While circling overhead, the pilot directed emergency personnel to the crash site, according to the release.
Clark County Fire & Rescue and sheriff’s deputies found the home-built aircraft, which has one engine and two seats, in a shallow pond in about two feet of water. The men inside appeared to have died on impact, according to the sheriff’s office.
The preliminary report should take about two weeks to complete. The NTSB will work with the FAA and other agencies to determine what led to the fatal crash, Knudson said. An investigator will document the wreckage, particularly focusing on perishable pieces and interview witnesses, he said.
FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer said in an email Tuesday that the plane crashed into the wetland area under unknown circumstances. Kenitzer said NTSB was leading the investigation and there was no additional information available.
As for the crash site, “It will add a bit of complexity to the investigation,” Knudson said.
“But our investigators are used to dealing with very challenging locations. Mountains, forests, deserts. They’ve seen it all,” he said.
The agency can take between one to two years before completing its findings, Knudson said.
