3 dead after small plane crashes in neighborhood

FAIRVIEW, Ore. (KPTV/Gray News) - Three people are dead after a small plane crashed in a neighborhood in Oregon on Saturday morning, authorities said.

Two people on board the plane and one person living in a townhome where the plane crashed had not been accounted for by firefighters. Gresham Fire confirmed later that afternoon that the three people had died.

According to a statement from the Port of Portland, the crash happened around 10:20 a.m. near the Troutdale airport. It hit a row of townhouses on Heartwood Circle in Fairview.

According to air traffic control recordings, the plane departed from the Troutdale airport and crashed about three minutes later. The airplane was a Cessna 421, according to flight logs. The pilot reported it was having handling problems. Less than a minute later, another pilot in a different plane reported it had crashed.

The plane knocked over a pole and power lines, as it crashed, causing a separate brush fire in a nearby field, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff’s Office. The plane was split into multiple parts as it crashed, the Associated Press reported.

The extent of the damage and injuries are not clear at this time, but at least one home appeared to be completely engulfed by flames immediately after the crash. Within an hour, firefighters had extinguished the fires.

Five families were displaced.

There were also over 22,000 reported power outages in the immediate area after the crash as of 1:47 p.m. local time.

Troutdale Airport is described on the Port of Portland’s website as a “flight training and recreational airport.”

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