An ultralight aircraft pilot died Monday afternoon after crashing near Chehalem Airpark in Newberg, Oregon, a small airfield about 25 miles southwest of Portland. The pilot was alive and conscious when first responders reached the crash site, but his condition deteriorated rapidly and he died shortly after crews arrived.
The crash happened around 4:30 p.m. Monday, according to OregonLive, which reported the aircraft went down near the airpark and that fire officials said the pilot was conscious when crews arrived but worsened quickly. Yamhill County Sheriff Sam Elliott told KGW that the pilot had taken off from Chehalem Airpark for a local flight and was expected to return to the airstrip before the aircraft went down in an adjacent field instead. The pilot has not been publicly identified.
The aircraft involved was a Quicksilver MXL II, according to the Aviation Safety Network.
Crash Site Near Dopp Road Draws Multi-Agency Response
Emergency crews placed the crash site near 17770 NE Aviation Way, close to Northeast Dopp Road and the Yamhill-Newberg Highway, according to the Daily Dispatch. A LifeFlight medical helicopter was activated, the outlet reported, while crews from Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue and Dundee Fire made initial attempts to save him. Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue was among the agencies that confirmed the crash location near the airpark.
Chehalem Airpark, listed under FAA identifier 17S, is a privately owned, public-use airfield about four miles northwest of Newberg with a single 2,285-foot asphalt runway sitting at 190 feet elevation, according to AirNav. Sheriff Elliott noted that the airpark sees regular traffic from personal aircraft.
Ultralight Was Carrying One Person
The aircraft was reported as an ultralight, with one person aboard.
The Yamhill County Sheriff's Office and the Yamhill County Medical Examiner's Office are handling the local investigation while coordinating with the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, KGW reported.
Not the First Fatal Crash Near the Airpark
Not the First Fatal Crash Near the Airpark In 2015, a fatal helicopter crash occurred near the airpark, according to Kathryn's Report. A flight instructor and student pilot died during a routine night training flight.
Hoodline has previously covered a separate Newberg crash involving a student pilot that led to a $27 million wrongful death lawsuit, though that incident is unrelated to Monday's crash. Investigators have not released findings on what caused the ultralight to go down.
