by Brent Hunsaker
Boise, ID (CBS2) — On Sunday morning, April 2, a small plane crashed in Hells Canyon killing both people onboard.
Dead are the plane’s pilot, 43-year-old Terry Lee Richards of Middleton, Idaho, and his passenger, 24-year-old Caleb Andrew Tennant, also of Middleton.
Baker County Sheriff Travis Ash and Lt. Downing witnessed the crash. They were off-duty, fishing on the Snake River. Just before 10:00 am, they reported hearing the engine of an aircraft and then a “bang.” They looked up to see the aircraft in a nose dive. They immediately called for help and went in search of the crash site on a ridge above the Idaho Power complex. They were joined in the search by private citizens and employees of Idaho Power.
They found the wreckage scattered across what they described as a wide area and quickly determined that there were no survivors.
Richards and Tennant had left the Caldwell Airport Sunday morning and were bound for Lewiston.
The Baker County Sheriff’s Office identified the aircraft as a Cirrus SR-22, one of the top-selling piston aircraft on the market today.
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are expected to arrive on the scene Monday to begin looking into the cause of the crash.
https://idahonews.com/news/local/fatal-plane-crash-in-baker-county-oregon
