Cataldo Plane Crash Victim ID’d

At about 7:45 p.m. Sunday, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office responded to the area of Beaver Road and River Road in the Cataldo area for a reported airplane crash. The downed airplane was located near a residence in the 13000 block of Beaver Road. The pilot was found deceased in the airplane. He was the only occupant of the airplane. Investigators from the NTSB and FAA responded to the scene on August 19th and are currently at the crash site. The victim of the crash has been identified as John T. Lippis, 67, of Spokane. His next of kin have been notified. The airplane was a 1980 fixed-wing, single engine plane, classified as an “experimental”. Indications are that Lippis had taken off from the Shoshone County Airport at an unknown time in Sunday afternoon to do some recreational flying in the area. There are no indications at this time as to the cause of the crash. An autopsy has been requested by the Coroner’s office. Further information will be released as it becomes available.