PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — Three people were killed Saturday morning when a small plane crashed into a row of townhouses Saturday morning in a neighborhood east of Portland, setting the homes ablaze.
Two people aboard the plane died in the crash and one person was killed when the plane hit, officials with the Gresham Fire Department confirmed late Saturday afternoon.
The crash happened around 10:20 a.m. when the plane went down near the Troutdale airport, the Port of Portland. The Federal Aviation Administration identified the aircraft as a twin-engine Cessna 421C
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Three people died, including one inside this townhome, when a small plane crashed in Fairview, August 31, 2024 (KOIN) -
Three people died, including one inside this townhome, when a small plane crashed in Fairview, August 31, 2024 (KOIN) -
Neighbor Donnie Calvert saw a small plane crash into a townhome in Fairview, August 31, 2024 (KOIN) -
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Officials said that on the way down, the plane hit a power pole before crashing into a townhome building in Fairview Terrace, 320 Lincoln Street.
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Gresham Fire said that two people were on board the plane at the time of the crash.
Fire Chief Scott Lewis said the first call about the fire came from staff at the Troutdale Airport’s control tower, who saw a thick plume of smoke rising in the air. But Lewis said that initial reports indicated “there was no mayday, no call for emergency” from the aircraft itself before it crashed.
Lewis added this became a 5-alarm fire that displaced five families and possibly a sixth.
“This particular fire was well involved. There’s flaps from the initial airplane strike. (Crews) couldn’t get into the units.”
The downed power pole started a small brush fire in a nearby area, but the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office said that it was in a marshy area and easily taken care of.
Due to the initial impact before the crash into the townhomes, officials said that there is a large debris field in the area.
Two people were treated for injuries at the scene, one refused transport to the hospital, and the other’s condition is unknown.
‘It was horrible’
Residents in the area who spoke with KOIN 6 News shared similar stories of the crash.
The plane “went super, super hot, super low and then, boom!” said Gina Schroeder. “I’ve never seen anything like that before. It was horrible.”
Karoline Calvert said her granddaughter wanted to see the plane because she heard it. “So I looked out the window, saw it. It’s a white plane. And then we turned around and next thing we know, the whole house was like — because it was a huge explosion.”
Donnie Calvert described it as “almost like a gas explosion.” He said he heard the plane and it “felt like it was descending. And then I next hear a big boom and I turn and that’s when I see in the house and stuff over there on fire.”
Neighbor Gina Schroeder said she just wanted to fall to the ground. “I just felt so much empathy and sadness.”
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. A spokesperson said the agency was still gathering information and didn’t have immediate comment.
According to the Portland General Electric Outage map, thousands of residents in the area were without power for about 4 hours. Most of the power was restored by 3:45 p.m.
KOIN 6 News has a crew at the scene and will have more information as it develops.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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