Police Identify Victims in Morning Plane Crash

The crash site is near the summit of Chehalem Mountain, at approximately 1000 feet of elevation.

Salem-News.com

(NEWBERG, Ore.) - Investigators say two people were killed this morning when their light plane crashed in rural Yamhill County, near Sherwood. The weather at the time of the crash was extremely foggy and raining.

Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree said that the pilot, 49-year old Steven Robert Fordyce of Salem, and 53-year old Pamela Jean Lusardi of rural Marion County, were both killed instantly when Steven Fordyce's 1959 Piper PA-22 crashed at 7:35 a.m. Wednesday.

Pamela Lusardi was previously listed as a Newberg resident, but had recently moved to the rural Salem area.

Crabtree explains that the two commuted regularly by air from rural Marion County to their employers in Hillsboro. Lusardi worked at Intel, while Mr. Fordyce was employed at NVidia.

The crash is being investigated by the Yamhill County Sheriff's office, Newberg Fire Department, Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board.

Capt. Ken Summers with the Yamhill County Sheriff's Office, says the plane crashed 50 feet from a home located on NE Mountain Home Road in Sherwood.

Yamhill County Sheriff Jack Crabtree said that weather conditions were not suitable for visual flying at the time of the crash.

"The crash site is near the summit of Chehalem Mountain, at approximately 1000 feet of elevation. The weather was extremely foggy and rainy, even as low as 500 feet" Crabtree said.

It appeared that the plane flew directly into the driveway, narrowly missing a nearby resident who was walking his dog.