Radar of skydivers’ plane shows brief recovery
YAKIMA – The final radar images of a plane carrying 10 people home from a weekend skydiving trip show the plane circled and lost altitude but recovered for several moments before falling rapidly into Washington’s rugged Cascades, killing all those aboard.
A pilot and nine skydivers died in the crash Sunday evening, and investigators at the crash site have been working to determine what caused the plane to nosedive into the trees just east of the Cascade crest.
The Cessna 208 Caravan made a tight 360-degree turn before losing 1,400 feet in 12 seconds, according to radar data released by the National Transportation Safety Board in a statement Friday. The airplane appeared to recover and stayed at 13,000 feet for three radar hits before rapidly descending at 6,800 feet per minute.
The last radar ping was received at 8,900 feet, investigators said.
The airplane crashed into thick timber at 4,300 feet, about 45 miles west of Yakima near the Goat Rocks Wilderness Area. A hunter in the crash area reported seeing the low-flying plane and said the engine appeared to be whining loudly.
No flight plan was filed for the flight. Searchers found the plane Monday evening within 200 yards of its last radar ping.
The plane was registered to Kapowsin Air Sports of Shelton.
Initial data indicates there were adverse weather conditions in the area at the time of the crash, investigators said.
A cold front had just swept through the area near White Pass where the plane went down. The National Weather Service has said the temperature at White Pass was 33 degrees at 5,800 feet, it was overcast with light precipitation and probably clouded over between about 4,500 feet and 5,800 feet between 7 p.m. and 8 p.m. Sunday.
The FAA had warned in recent years that pilots should avoid flying the Cessna Caravan in many icy conditions.
However, investigators have declined to speculate on what caused the crash until they complete their investigation. They had hoped to begin recovering the wreckage on Friday, but overcast skies forced the helicopter operation to be suspended for the day, said Keith Holloway, an NTSB spokesman in Washington, D.C. They planned to try again today.