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“The airplane was wallowing at a low altitude,” said 74-year-old Andrews, who worked at Boeing for nearly 40 years. “There was an obvious control problem.”
The plane crashed seconds later near Andrew’s home south of Graham in Pierce County, killing the pilot and injuring his passenger. The pilot died from his injuries at the scene.
Paramedics took the passenger – whose name was not released – to a Tacoma hospital for treatment of his serious injuries, sheriff’s spokesman Ed Troyer said.
“He was awake and talking to our crews,” said Tony Judd, assistant chief for Graham Fire & Rescue.
Both men appeared to be in their 60s, Judd said.
Witnesses said the plane took off from Kapowsin Field Airport and quickly got in trouble, Judd said.
“It appears as though it took a hard right into the ground” shortly after takeoff, Judd said.
The weather was clear and there was no strong wind, Troyer said. The nose was up when the plane appeared to have stalled.
