Injured Pilot Says He Never Saw Other Plane

Two Cessnas collided over a rural part of Washington, south of Olympia Sunday night, killing one pilot and injuring the other.

It happened at about 800 feet AGL, according to the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. Just after 8:30 pm PDT, the two aircraft collided about 10 miles south of Tenino (WA).

The FAA says the Cessna T-210 and Cessna 170 were headed north when they ran into each other. Neither pilot has yet been identified.

Witnesses say the Cessna 170 tried to land in a nearby field, but snagged some power lines and became entangled. Electricity was knocked out for several hours in an area near the crash site.

"He said he was just flying in a straight line and just out of nowhere, boom," said Mike Peterson, who lives next to one of the crash sites.

Eric Peterson, who lives nearby, saw the wreckage of the T-210 fall from the sky. "I saw that one coming out of the sky with its wings broken," he said. "I didn't even see him (the other plane) until he started yelling for help."

FAA Preliminary Accident Reports

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 3329S        Make/Model: C210      Description: 210, T210, (Turbo)Centurion
  Date: 05/17/2004     Time: 0330

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Fatal     Mid Air: Y    Missing: N
  Damage: Substantial

LOCATION
  City: TENINO                      State: WA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT N3329S, A C210, COLLIDED IN MIDAIR WITH ANOTHER ACFT, N3510D, C170B,
  UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, ONE PERSON ON BOARD N3329S WAS FATALLY INJURED
  AND THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD N3510D SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, TENINO, WA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   1
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   1     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:           Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED                                                               
                                                                                    
                                                        

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation

  Departed: CAMAS, WA                   Dep Date:    Dep. Time:     
  Destination: RENTON, WA               Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: Y
  Last Radio Cont: UNK
  Last Clearance: UNK

  FAA FSDO: SEATTLE, WA  (NM01)                   Entry date: 05/17/2004

IDENTIFICATION
  Regis#: 3510D        Make/Model: C170      Description:
  Date: 05/17/2004     Time: 0330

  Event Type: Accident   Highest Injury: Minor     Mid Air: Y    Missing:
  Damage: Unknown

LOCATION
  City: TENINO                      State: WA   Country: US

DESCRIPTION
  ACFT N3329S, A C210, COLLIDED IN MIDAIR WITH ANOTHER ACFT, N3510D, C170B,
  UNDER UNKNOWN CIRCUMSTANCES, ONE PERSON ON BOARD N3329S WAS FATALLY INJURED
  AND THE ONE PERSON ON BOARD N3510D SUSTAINED MINOR INJURIES, TENINO, WA

INJURY DATA      Total Fatal:   0
                 # Crew:   1     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   1     Unk:   
                 # Pass:    0     Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   
                 # Grnd:           Fat:   0     Ser:   0     Min:   0     Unk:   

WEATHER: NOT REPORTED                                                               
                                                                                    
                                                        

OTHER DATA
  Activity: Unknown      Phase: Unknown      Operation: General Aviation

  Destination: UNK                      Flt Plan: VFR          Wx Briefing: N
  Last Radio Cont: UNK
  Last Clearance: UNK

  FAA FSDO: SEATTLE, WA  (NM01)                   Entry date: 05/17/2004

FMI: www.ntsb.gov