Two people were seriously injured on Monday, Aug. 10, when a small single-engine aircraft crashed near Daybreak Airport southeast of La Center along the East Fork Lewis River.
The crash was reported shortly before 1 p.m. Aug. 10 near the 4400 block of Northeast 290th Street, south of the airport.
The Clark County Sheriff’s Office (CCSO), Clark-Cowlitz Fire Rescue (CCFR) and American Medical Response (AMR) responded after a 911 caller inside the aircraft reported the crash.
Both occupants were conscious and breathing when the initial call was received, according to CCFR. Responders initially were told the aircraft was near the north end of the Daybreak airstrip and began searching the area from multiple directions.
With no flames or smoke visible, crews requested a drone to help locate the aircraft and prepared for the possibility that a raft would be needed to reach the crash site.
Further information from the 911 caller placed the aircraft at the south end of the airstrip, where it was surrounded by trees and difficult to see from nearby roads. Fire crews located the overturned aircraft and confirmed its location, a news release by CCFR stated.
The remote and rugged location made access to the crash site difficult, CCFR stated. Responders spent more than 20 minutes reaching the aircraft and had to carry emergency medical and rescue equipment across uneven terrain and a shallow portion of the river.
One occupant had self-extricated from the aircraft and was found sitting on its wing with injuries. The second occupant remained trapped inside the plane, CCFR stated.
Rescue personnel cut and peeled back portions of the aircraft to reach the trapped occupant. After the person was freed, responders secured the patient to a backboard and transported them across the river by raft to waiting medical units.
One occupant was transported by AMR to a local hospital, while the other was airlifted by Life Flight. Both occupants sustained serious injuries, according to CCSO in a separate news release.
CCFR added that homeowners in the area also assisted emergency crews by helping transport equipment while responders worked to establish a safe route to the crash site.
No other injuries were reported.
The Federal Aviation Administration had responded to the crash and will conduct an investigation. No additional information about the aircraft or the circumstances leading to the crash was available at press time.
