Two people are dead after a small plane crashed into the Columbia River in the middle of the Tri-Cities.
According to police reports, the seaplane clipped a powerline that crossed from Pasco to Kennewick on Wednesday afternoon. That sent the plane into the water.
The plane crashed upside down. Police, fire crews, and a local dive rescue team all responded.
Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary identified the pilot as Randy J. Peterson, 64, and passenger, Eric Wayne Houston. Both men were from Sonoma, California.
The plane left Napa River, California, at 7 a.m. Wednesday. The two men were headed to Priest Lake, Idaho, for an airshow June 26-28, McGary said.
An autopsy is scheduled for Friday morning at the Spokane County Medical Examiner's office.
The downed powerline caused a brush fire on the Pasco shoreline. Crews got that out quickly.
According to the Washington Department of Ecology, a small amount of fuel leaked into the Columbia River and rapidly evaporated. A drone monitored water downstream and didn’t find any visible sheen.
Franklin County, the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration are investigating the crash, McGary said.
