January 6, 2009
- Pasco, Washington
Richland Man Dies in Plane Crash
By Rudabeh Shahbazi
RICHLAND-- An experimental aircraft flying in the skies over Richland suddenly plunged to earth Thursday, killing the pilot.
The accident happened around 1:50 PM, according to Richland Police Captain Mike Cobb. Witnesses told police the plane took off on the Richland Airport runway, made a hard right bank and simply fell out of the sky. Witnesses said it looked like the pilot was trying to circle back around. Investigators are looking into the possibility of whether 72-year-old Chuck Bigelow had a medical condition that caused the accident, or if the experimental one-seater fell apart midair. Witnesses say the engine may have been sputtering before the plane came crashing down from about 250 feet. "I was very distressed to hear it," said Bigelow's friend Robert Ver Steeg. "It give aviation a black eye." Crews finished picking up the pieces at the Richland airport Thursday afternoon. The coroner is conducting an autopsy. Friends of Bigelow at the scene said he was an avid aviator and auto racer. This comes just weeks after another fatal plane crash near Little Naches. The pilot and his wife were killed in the plane he had assembled from a kit. |
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