Pilot hurt in plane crash east of Salem near Howell Prairie

David Davis Virginia Barreda
Statesman Journal

A pilot was treated and released from the hospital after crashing his plane Tuesday afternoon while attempting an emergency landing in a grass field east of Salem.

Eugene Mitchell, 73, of Portland, told deputies he experienced mechanical issues which led to the plane catching fire mid-flight while traveling from the Albany area to the Aurora Airport. Mitchell, an experienced pilot, suffered non-life threatening injuries.

He was the only occupant of the plane, according to Sgt. Jeremy Landers with the Marion County Sheriff's Office.

Units from Aumsville Fire District and Marion County Fire District #1 responded to a report of a single-engine aircraft crash near the intersection of Howell Prairie Road SE and Jordan Street SE before 1:30 p.m., according to dispatch records.

The plane came to rest south of Jordon, east of Howell Prairie, in an unharvested grass field, according to Aumsville Fire District Fire Chief Roy Hari.

The crash ignited a grass fire, which was contained in less than half an hour after burning an area of about 100 feet by 200 feet, according to Hari.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Traffic Safety Board were notified of the crash.