Cessna Crash Kills Father and Son
According to reports, a father and his son died in a plane crash on Sunday that took place near Rimrock Lake, Washington. Reportedly on the plane were the pilot and father, Justin Reed, 37, and his two children, Parrin, 13, and Julie, 5. The daughter Julie was critically injured in the crash suffering head injuries and multiple fractures. She was airlifted to a Seattle's Harborview Medical Center after an initial visit to Yakima Valley Memorial Hospital.
A passerby, William Watt, was reportedly driving home when he saw the plane crash into a stand of trees. “I came down (the road) past the airport, and I saw the plane over(head), and I saw it clip the trees,” he said. Watt then called authorities to inform them of the crash.
The plane, a 1974 Cessna 172 Skyhawk owned by McCormick Air Center of Yakima, Washington, was a rental. The four-seat Skyhawk is “the best-selling, most-flown airplane ever,” according to Cessna’s Web site. More than 43,000 have been built since 1955.
Local fire officials reportedly were unsure of the cause of the accident but indicated that officials at the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board had been notified.