Firefighters stand around the debris of the crashed Cessna 421C aircraft in Fairview, Ore., on Aug. 31, 2024.
Courtesy of Greg Renfro via Gresham Fire
A small aircraft went down and hit multiple townhouses in Fairview, Oregon, near the Troutdale Airport Saturday morning, killing three people, authorities said.
The two-engine Cessna 421C aircraft crashed at a residential area in Fairview, a town home to about 10,000 people located about 12 miles east of downtown Portland, around 10:20 a.m. Saturday, according to Federal Aviation Administration. Troutdale Airport is described on the Port of Portland’s website as a “flight training and recreational airport.”
FAA said two people were on board at the time of the crash. Chief Scott Lewis of Gresham Fire, one of the agencies responding to the incident, confirmed that the Cessna 421C pilot, a single passenger and a resident living in a townhouse near Fairview’s Heartwood Circle were killed after the aircraft had experienced mechanical issues and fallen onto the residential area.
A townhouse is damaged after being hit by the Cessna 421C aircraft in Fairview, Ore., on Aug. 31, 2024.
Courtesy of Greg Renfro via Gresham Fire
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.
As the plane went down, it knocked over a pole and power lines, causing a separate brush fire in a nearby field, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. First responders told OPB that the plane was split into multiple parts after the collision.
The Portland General Electric said in early Saturday afternoon that the incident impacted electricity supply to about 9,000 customers. Power supply was later restored to these customers around 3 p.m.
The National Transportation Safety Board is leading the investigation into the crash. The agency has sent two investigators to the site of the crash to document the wreckage, spokesperson Peter Knudson said.