SCIO, Ore. — Authorities said Sunday evening that one person died and another person was severely injured after a small plane crashed near the Linn County community of Scio that afternoon.
The Linn County Sheriff's Office was notified around 2 p.m. of a single-engine plane crash east of Scio along Richardson Gap Road. Fire crews and medical staff from the Scio Rural Fire Department, along with neighbors who witnessed the crash, were quick to arrive on the scene.
Deputies arrived minutes later, the sheriff's office said, finding the pilot of the aircraft dead at the scene. He was later identified as Dennis Jackson, 78, of Independence.
The plane also had one passenger, identified as Dennis' wife, Amy Jackson. Amy suffered life-threatening injuries and was airlifted from the scene by LifeFlight Air Ambulance to Salem Memorial Hospital.
LCSO said that the plane was registered with the Federal Aviation Administration as an Experimental Amateur Built Aircraft, described as a "Dennis Jackson RV-8" single-engine airplane, manufactured in 2004.
The FAA maintains a list of certain aircraft kits that are produced by companies and can be purchased and assembled by pilots. A company called Van's Aircraft does produce a model RV-8, but it's unclear if this was the same or similar type of craft.
Deputies will remain to secure the scene overnight, the sheriff's office said. Linn County detectives expect to be joined on Monday by investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board and the FAA to complete the investigation.
The sheriff's office said it expects to release more information around 10 a.m. on Monday.
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