Pilot in fatal Sunriver plane crash identified
Published 12:00 am Monday, June 24, 2019
- Rescue crews work to recover the body of Kevin Padrick, who was killed in a plane crash in the Deschutes River near the Sunriver Airport on June 22, 2019.
The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office on Sunday identified the pilot found dead after a plane crash Saturday in Sunriver as Kevin Padrick, 63, of Sunriver.
His passenger, Johannes Noordwijk, 69, of Sunriver, survived when the 1996 Maule M-7 single-engine seaplane crashed into the Deschutes River, according to the sheriff’s office.
Jim Bennett, a spokesman for Sunriver Fire and Rescue, said authorities received a report of the crash at 10:42 a.m. Saturday. The plane crashed south of the airport and was swept about 100 yards downstream in the river before coming to rest. An Oregon State Police pickup was driven to the area and tethered to the plane to keep it in place.
The plane took off from the Sunriver Airport, and the pilot attempted to land in the river for unknown reasons, FAA spokesman Ian Gregor said.
The plane flipped upside down in the river, Gregor said.
Noordwijk escaped the aircraft after the crash and was later helped to shore by Sunriver Fire and Rescue, according to the sheriff’s office. Padrick’s body was later found by Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office search and rescue divers.
The crash, including the cause of death, is under investigation by multiple agencies. The Deschutes County Sheriff’s Office asks anyone who witnessed the crash or has video to call 541-693-6911.