Fatal Prineville aircraft crash not investigated by FAA, NTSB

Published 4:45 pm Monday, August 31, 2020

PRINEVILLE — The homemade airplane crash Saturday in Prineville that killed the pilot will not be investigated by the Federal Aviation Administration or the National Transportation Safety Board.

Ian Gregor, a spokesperson for the FAA, said the agencies only investigate crashes involving registered aircraft, and the homemade ultralight airplane was not registered.

“The FAA does not investigate because you don’t need a pilot license to fly one, and they do not need an FAA airworthiness certificate,” Gregor said.

Jackson Edwards, 27, of Redmond, was the only person aboard the homemade plane when it crashed shortly after taking off from the Prineville Airport at about 12:41 p.m. Saturday, according to Prineville Police. The plane crashed about 180 yards from the runway, witnesses told police.

Mechanical failure appears to be a factor in the crash, police said.

Edwards was pronounced dead at about 1:05 p.m. by Crook County Fire and Rescue officials.

It was the second fatal crash in Central Oregon since June.

Christopher S. McKeage, a 65-year-old Bend resident, died June 30 when his powered glider crashed at the Bend Municipal Airport.

Witnesses told an NTSB investigator there were high winds at the time of the accident, and the glider’s right wing was low during take off, according to a preliminary report from the NTSB.

The report said the glider began an extremely rapid climb and banked right, then turned over on its nose and hit the ground.

The crash occurred at 1:25 p.m. at the northeast section of the airport and caused a fire, which destroyed the glider, according to the Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office.

Bend Fire & Rescue extinguished the fire before it spread to nearby trees.

McKeage was pronounced dead at the scene.

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