Plane crash outside Chelan kills pilot | iFIBER ONE News | ifiberone.com
My snowmobile buddy Kenny took his plane up for it's first test ride since he crashed it last fall trying to land on his lawn at home. (true story).......His kids told him not to fly. His mechanic that rebuilt the plane told him not to go up until he had more training........Mechanic watched him take off yesterday morning. Clear skies, no wind. Watched him climb too steeply and too slowly. Watched him start a turn out over the river without proper speed and still climbing. Watched the stall and dive toward the ground. Watched the ball of flames in the apple orchard. Watched Kenny die.
Kenny was 68 and the nicest guy you'd ever meet. He was never the same after his son was killed on his snowmobile in avalanche in 2004 near Lake Cle Elum:
https://www.dailyrecordnews.com/news/avalanche-kills-man-in-upper-countyanother-man-survives-separate-avalanche/article_55f90c8c-8c67-5194-bec4-1924141704a3.html
His wife started drinking heavily after that. They divorced after she got arrested for a DV assault on him.
Kenny lived 2 hours from me on the Columbia River at Chelan Falls. He bought his first plane 2 yrs ago and took his flying lessons from the seller. Last fall, he tried to land on his lawn between his house and the river and crashed into an orchard. He wasn't hurt. Sheriff told him to leave the plane where it was and the NTSB would be out the next day. Kenny used his backhoe to drag the plane to his shop that night. No investigation.
Turns out an old girlfriend of mine lives 2 doors away. Hadn't talked to her in years. But, I called her yesterday after a Facebook message about our friend. She had some stories:
June said the story gets better. After the crash in the neighborhood, Kenny started building his own landing strip on the railroad right of way that is beside their homes.......Used his dump truck and backhoe to bring in fill. Plants grass and puts in a sprinkler system......Told the railroad he was just trying to improve the looks of the neighborhood. All the neighbors knew he was building his private air strip. An air strip he never got to use.
That all sounds like Kenny. For a snowmobiler in his late 60's, the words "fearless" and "reckless" often come up in stories......
RIP Kenny. we had some good times.......Hope someone can learn a lesson here?