A man is dead and another was injured after a plane crashed in Skamania County on Friday.
The Skamania County Sheriff’s Office was notified of a potentially downed aircraft east of the Sunset Falls Campground based on coordinates received from a transceiver aboard the aircraft.
A Search and Rescue Coordinator with the SCSO began organizing resources and working with the Washington State Department of Transportation’s Aviation Division. Volunteers from the Volcano Rescue Team and Skamania County Sheriff’s Office Search and Rescue Team, along with medics from North Country Emergency Medical Services also responded to the area. A United States Coast Guard air asset was acquired to assist in the rescue mission as well.
Upon arrival of the search and rescue volunteers, they were able to make voice contact with the pilot, Christopher M. Paulson, 72, of Eatonville, Washington, but they could not see the downed aircraft.
Paulson was found after the volunteers navigated down an extremely steep ravine. Paulson was hoisted from the ravine by the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter and flown to Portland, Oregon to receive medical treatment.
A passenger, Jed Paul Kelly, 45, of Eatonville, Washington, was found dead inside the plane wreckage. Authorities said he succumbed to his injuries as a result of the crash.
The plane crash is part of an ongoing investigation and the Skamania County Sheriff’s Office is currently working with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.