Plane Crash in Astoria, April 24th

So last Friday I was upstairs in my bedroom, which overlooks the Columbia River, and my girlfriend Jen was down visiting. We were sitting on my bed just talking when I happen to look out the window to see this plane flying pretty low. I said to Jen,"Gee, that plane is flying low, it looks like it is going to hit that building!" She looked out and saw the plane too, and said it did look low. So as we were watching it it suddenly turned towards the river and dove right in! I screamed and with one boob out attached to the baby I jump up and yell, "the plane just crashed, the plane just crashed into the river!!!" I am freaking out trying to find my phone to call 9-1-1. I can't get through, and try again on another phone, finally I got through and the dispatcher asked if this was about the plane crash, and said they already had it reported. I hung up with them and then called Sheryl,(Grandma Tapir) and told her to get outside with her camera and start taking pictures since a plane just crashed practically out front of her place(she lives right on the river). I was so worked up and talking about 523 miles an hour, that she thought I meant that the plane crashed on the ground in front of her place. The plane crashed in front of the Maritime Museum in Astoria, and right in front of where two Coast Guard ships were docked. The pictures that I have posted here are from Sheryl, and by the way she was the only person who got pictures of the passengers standing on the wing of the plane, and the Daily Astorian bought her photo!

Here is the famous photo of the passengers standing on the wing. The passengers was the former mayor of Astoria and her son, the pilot Luckily no one was hurt!

The pilot boat came to the rescue!

There goes the plane!

Here is what it looked like from land.

The plane floated!

The plane started to float toward the docked Coast Guard ships of all things.

Here it comes!

Here is the Sheriff boat coming to help!

Get ready!

These are crew members of the ship that were on board but off duty, and came out to help.

They grabbed some rope to tie up the plane.

Of course emergency response personnel were on scene.

The Fire Department, standing by.

These are the two Coast Guard ships, docked.

Here is the Sheriff boat and a Coast Guard boat working together.

The Coast Guard crew members working together to tie rope around the plane to secure it.

Crew in action, to tie up the plane to the ship until the next day when it will be picked up and moved.

This is the next day when a barge came to pick up the plane.

Lots of men standing around trying to organize how this should be done.

Hooking up the plane to the lift.

Here it comes out of the water.

You can see here the head set that was worn by the two people.

(Amazing)

Easy does it now.

Made it onto the barge!

The propellers and the the wings took some damage!

Once onto the barge, the plane was taken over to one of the piers at the port, where the FAA came and took the plane to see what happen.

Apparently the pilot reported that shortly after take off ,the engines went out. He wanted to ditch the plane where it wouldn't hurt anyone and that's why he crashed into the river.

I was just glad that no one was hurt, and for the rest of the weekend every time I heard a plane I was looking up to make sure it wasn't come down!