By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

By the students, for the students of Central Washington University

The Observer

Mid-Air Collision Claims One Life, Other Survives

By Kyle Fenton

CWU aviation professor Amy Hoover survived a mid air collision, between two small planes, 70 miles north of Boise near Landmark Airstrip.

Both planes had no passengers aside from the pilots flying them. The collision killed the other pilot, 45-year-old Michael Bond of Fort Collins, Colo.

Valley County Sheriff’s office information indicates that Bond’s plane, a Cessna 172 made contact with an American Champion Aircraft, being flown by 52-year-old Hoover.

Bond’s plane appears to have come up underneath Hoover’s plane, where the propeller of Hoover’s plane struck Bond’s plane from above causing loss of control and a fire from impact.

Hoover made an emergency landing in a grassy area near the airstrip. Bond’s plane crashed about a mile from the airstrip, bursting into flames, according to Boise Weekly.

Linda Schactler, director of CWU public affairs said she had talked to Hoover, “She said she was feeling fortunate she was able to land,” said Schactler.

Valley County Sheriff’s office said the pilots knew each other.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were on site the day after the crash and will release their findings in the future.

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