PORTLAND, Ore. — The small plane that crashed into a row of townhomes east of Portland on Saturday, killing three people, had taken off only minutes earlier from the nearby Troutdale Airport, according to National Transportation Safety Board officials who spoke at a brief news conference Tuesday morning.
The Cessna 421C departed at 10:25 a.m. on a maintenance test flight, according to Air Safety Investigator Michael Hicks with the NTSB. The pilot reported "issues with controllability" during the flight, and moments later a nearby helicopter pilot reported that the plane had gone down in a residential area.
"What those issues are, we are going to find out," Hicks said.
Two NTSB investigators are combing through the scene for airplane debris and other evidence. The full investigation could take up to 18 months, but preliminary findings could be available in a matter of weeks, according to a news release from the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office.
The plane struck a set of power transmission lines before crashing in a neighborhood in Fairview, about a mile and a half west of the airport. The two people on board the plane and one townhome resident died in the crash. Two other people on the ground suffered minor injuries and were treated by paramedics at the scene.
Surveillance video from a nearby RV park captured the final moments before the plane went down. It shows the plane clipping the power lines, bursting into flames.
Gresham Fire Chief Scott Lewis said the plane hit the second unit in a row of eight townhouses, and the impact and fire destroyed that unit and the ones to either side. The fourth unit in the row is also likely unrepairable, he said, but the fifth and sixth are "probably" repairable and the final two units likely only suffered smoke damage.
The transmission line damage caused about 9,000 Portland General Electric customers to lose power. PGE was able to restore service at around 3 p.m. Saturday by rerouting power, but the utility said its crews weren't able to safely access the site and begin repairs until later in the day. The damaged lines were repaired and re-energized as of 10 p.m. Monday.
The news conference did not include the names of the victims; the medical examiner's office was still working to confirm their identities and notify their families as of Tuesday morning, according to the Multnomah County Sheriff's Office, and their identities won't be released publicly until that process is finished.
Watch the full news conference here: