PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A new video shows the moments leading up to the deadly plane crash that happened in Fairview this past weekend.
The video was shared with KOIN 6 News by Larry Olsen. It shows a perspective from a mobile home park, a separate but adjacent area to where the plane impacted.
In the video, taken on Aug. 31 just before 10:20 a.m., the plane is seen streaking through the sky. It hits a powerline, then erupts into a fireball just before the crash that impacted a Fairview Terrace townhome. The camera pans over to the view of a black column of smoke on the horizon, behind some trees.
On Friday, authorities identified the three people who were killed, including the pilot, 73-year-old Michael C. Busher, and the resident of the townhome, 75-year-old Barbara J. MacDonald. The family of the 79-year-old pilot instructor, Jacqueline Whitford, who died as a passenger of the plane, has also set up a GoFundMe for her memorial.
Several adjacent homes were damaged in the crash from the explosive impact and fire, displacing residents.
KOIN 6 also spoke with a neighbor, Dawn York, who said her life is anything but normal these days. We spoke with her before investigators confirmed the victims' identities.
"It's still surreal for me right now," York said. "Every time I walk down here I just can't believe this is where I live and this is what happened."
York said she and her neighbors are clinging to a fragile calm after the crash while also mourning the loss of their beloved friend, MacDonald.
"Barb was just so sweet and so nice," York said. "Just the sweetest person you'd ever meet, seriously, she was just…a little angel."
York said that when the crash happened, McDonald was asleep at home while her husband ran errands.
The landscape of Fairview Terrace now bears a scar, a reminder of the devastation. The debris is still being cleaned up, including by residents like York.
"I had a propeller part that was stuck in the roof," York said. "It was like 4 feet long, it was stuck in there pretty long."
Each plane that soars overhead now echoes with the pain of that dreadful day, neighbors said.
"It's just been really hard to describe," York said about the suddenness of what happened that day.
The pilot of the twin-engine Cessna 421C was reportedly having issues with the controls during the maintenance test flight before it went down, the National Transportation Safety Board said. The NTSB's full investigation into the crash may take up to 18 months to complete, officials said.
The homeowner association is now urging the Port of Portland to reroute flights from the nearby Troutdale Airport to not fly over their neighborhood. However, those paths, often impacted by weather and traffic, are controlled by the Federal Aviation Administration.
The Port of Portland told KOIN 6 Serco is the company that provides air traffic control tower services at the Troutdale Airport under contract with the FAA. The Port confirmed it reached Serco in response to the neighborhood request but has not returned KOIN’s request for comment.
KOIN 6 also spoke with some of the families who were displaced and seeking help through GoFundMe campaigns.
