NEWBERG, Ore. (KGW) — A plane fell from the sky and crashed through the roof of a home in Newberg, Oregon on Tuesday evening. Two people on board were killed and a third person was injured, according to Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue (TVF&R).
Around 6:47 p.m., Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue responded to multiple reports of a small plane spiraling towards the ground and crashing into a home on North Cedar Street in Newberg. Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue said that the plane crashed through the roof of the home and came to a rest partially inside the home and in part of the backyard.
Fire officials said “there were no indications of anyone inside the home” when first responders arrived. However, interviews with the homeowners later revealed that there were multiple people inside when the plane crashed, according to TVF&R. Everyone was able to evacuate safely.
Initially, firefighters were working to reach two people in the plane. One of them was pronounced dead at the scene, fire officials said. Firefighters pulled a second person from the plane, and they were life-flighted to a Portland trauma hospital with serious injuries.
Firefighters later discovered a third person inside the plane and they were pronounced dead, according to TVF&R.
KGW spoke with neighbors Chris and Nichole Gieber. They said some young kids, including their son, were playing in the front yard of the home when the plane crashed.
“I ran out to see if my boy was OK and they were crying and I said, ‘Did the plane hit the house?’ And yeah, it hit his buddy’s house,” Chris Gieber said.
No one near the home was injured, fire officials said.
“Thank goodness somebody was looking after them and had them in the front yard,” Nichole Gieber said.
KGW also spoke with a neighbor who took video of the plane as it fell from the sky.
“I’m in shock … and I ended up getting a glimpse and being, someone else has to see this to confirm what I’m seeing,” said Micah Schauer. “It still doesn’t really feel like it’s real. I truly do feel sorry for their family and their loss.”
The Technical Rescue Team and Urban Search crews assisted in managing the scene and overseeing the structural stability of the home. The home and plane did not catch fire.
According to FlightAware, a flight tracking website, the plane is a twin-engine Piper owned by Hillsboro Aero Academy. The plane departed around 6:20 p.m. on Tuesday, appeared to lose air speed suddenly and crashed less than 30 minutes after takeoff.
The cause of the crash is unknown at this time. The Newberg-Dundee Police Department is working alongside the Federal Aviation Administration and National Safety Board to investigate the cause of the crash.
Tualatin Valley Fire and Rescue worked alongside the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, Federal Aviation Administration and National Safety Board, the Technical Rescue Team and Urban Search crews, Dundee Fire, Portland General Electric, Northwest Natural Gas, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The Red Cross will be assisting the displaced family.
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