The National Transportation Safety Board did not travel to the scene of this accident.
Additional Participating Entity:
Federal Aviation Administration / Flight Standards District Office; Portland, Oregon
Location: Eugene, OR
Accident Number: WPR21LA204
Date & Time: May 20, 2021, 10:30 Local
Registration: N54CB
Aircraft: MCCLURE B J GLASAIR III
Injuries: 1 Serious
Flight Conducted Under: Part 91: General aviation - Personal
On May 20, 2021, about 1030 Pacific daylight time, an experimental McClure Glasair III, N54CB, was destroyed when it was involved in an accident near Eugene, Oregon. The pilot was seriously injured. The airplane was operated as a Title 14 Code of Federal Regulations Part 91 personal flight.
The pilot had departed Aurora State Airport (UAO), Aurora, Oregon, about 1000 with a destination of Mahlon Sweet Field Airport (EUG), Eugene, Oregon.
The pilot was cleared to land runway 16R at EUG and an air traffic controller cautioned him for wake turbulence. During the approach, the pilot reported, “going down, going down.” The airplane crashed in an open field about 1.5 miles north of the EUG airport.
The wreckage debris field was in tall grass. The first identified point of contact was with the left-wing tip. The wreckage debris field continued for about 50 yards to where the engine was located. All major components of the airplane were identified.
Aircraft and Owner/Operator Information
Aircraft Make: MCCLURE B J
Registration: N54CB
Model/Series: GLASAIR III
Aircraft Category: Airplane
Amateur Built: No
Operator: On file
Operating Certificate(s) Held: None
Operator Designator Code:
Meteorological Information and Flight Plan
Conditions at Accident Site: VMC
Condition of Light: Day
Observation Facility, Elevation: KEUG,353 ft msl
Observation Time: 09:54 Local
Distance from Accident Site: 2 Nautical Miles
Temperature/Dew Point: 11°C /4°C
Lowest Cloud Condition: Scattered / 2500 ft AGL
Wind Speed/Gusts, Direction: 4 knots / , 240°
Lowest Ceiling: Broken / 3400 ft AGL
Visibility: 10 miles
Altimeter Setting: 30.19 inches Hg
Type of Flight Plan Filed:
Departure Point:
Destination:
Wreckage and Impact Information
Crew Injuries: 1 Serious
Aircraft Damage: Destroyed
Passenger Injuries:
Aircraft Fire: None
Ground Injuries:
Aircraft Explosion: None
Total Injuries: 1 Serious
Latitude, Longitude: 44.158721,-123.20972 (est)
EUGENE, Oregon - A Eugene pilot who suffered "multiple life-threatening injuries" when his plane crashed in a field north of the Eugene Airport in May will be home for Christmas, his family says.
"Miracles do happen! Nearly 7 months ago to the day, beloved community member Bob Cross survived a plane crash as he was approaching his landing at the Eugene Airport. With the skilled ICU team, orthopedic surgeons, and therapists at Peace Health Medical Center he was stabilized for a month, before his 6-month journey of rehabilitation with stops in Denver, Colorado and most recently Omaha, Nebraska," his family said in a statement.
Cross grew up in Eugene and graduated Churchill High School.
"In addition to being a seasoned and experienced pilot, he is the President of Lee Built Construction, a member of the University Fellowship Church and known to many in the Eugene community as a long-standing and founding member and vocalist of The Emerald City Jazz Kings," his family said.
The statement continues:
That day, 7-months ago Bob, his wife Michelle and their 4 children Lexi, Ellie, James, and Ethan walked out of their normal lives on a quest to save and restore their dear husband and father. After months of therapy at amazing facilities across the country, “He’ll Be Home for Christmas” and reunited with his extended family, friends, and community.
Although Bob still has a long road ahead, he and his family are thrilled to be home for the holidays and back in Eugene.
Without the skilled teams of professionals, prayers, and Bob’s fight and tenacity it may be a different story. He has worked tirelessly every day to return to health and to return as the leader of his family. Bob is a miracle! He is walking, talking, playing cards and still has his quick wit. He looks forward to continuing his journey of rehabilitation and orthopedic surgeries in his hometown of Eugene. Although his life will be a bit different, it will be full and overflowing with love, new adventures, and discovery as he continues to work on improving his physical and cognitive health.
The Cross family is grateful every day for the gift of Bob and for his future and to this amazing community for their love, notes of support and encouragement and prayers every day these past 7-months. #LetsGoBob
The crash Thursday, May 20, 2021, remains under investigation by aviation authorites.
EUGENE, Oregon -- Friends are sharing memories they have of 51-year-old Bob Cross, the pilot who suffered life-threatening injuries when his airplane crashed on Thursday.
Cross was taken to River Bend Hospital after the crash, which happened near the Eugene Airport.
Ginevra Ralph, director at The Shedd Institute, said Cross is a talented singer and performer.
"He is my go-to singer. He has this amazing voice," Ralph said. "But it's so much more than that. It's everything that comes with that voice."
Ralph said Cross has been with The Shedd Institute for nearly 30 years and has never missed performing at a Christmas show. She said he is known in the community to have talents for many things.
"He's a business man, a golfer, a family man, a church man. You ask him to do a favor for you and he's right there to do it for you," Ralph said.
Ralph said she didn't know much about his hobby of flying but realized it is a big passion of his when she contacted some of his other friends who are also pilots.
The plane that Cross was operating in the crash was a Glasair III. Aviation experts said that it's unique in that it can fly at high speeds.
"I would say because of the speed that that plane is capable of doing, it would take a better than average pilot to be able to fly it well," said I Fly Aviation LLC owner and flight instructor Steve Boulton.
As of now, Ralph and some of Cross' other friends at The Shedd Institute are hoping for his speedy recovery.
"We love you, Bob," Ralph said. "We need you back. You're supposed to be singing on stage for Christmas."
EUGENE, Oregon — NTSB and FAA investigators are at the scene of a small plane crash that happened in north Eugene, continuing their investigation Friday morning.
The crash happened Thursday in a field north of the Eugene Airport near Meadow View and Greenhill roads.
The crash seriously injured the pilot.
Investigators are combing through the wreckage in an effort to piece together what caused the crash.
First responders on Thursday found the pilot seriously injured and they also said he was unresponsive.
Police searched the area to make sure he was the only person on the plane.
Eugene Police used a drone to get a view from the sky and an infrared camera to detect body heat.
The name of the pilot has not been released.
A small airplane crashed Thursday morning into a field north of the Eugene Airport, leaving one person in critical condition, according to law enforcement at the scene.
The crash, reported a little after 10:30 a.m., occurred in a field west of Green Hill Road and north of Meadowview Road.
The Lane County Sheriff's Office responded along with emergency responders, after which they found the victim among the debris, according to Sgt. Marvin Combs.
"We arrived with fire responders, located the debris field, and an adult male victim in the debris field," Combs said.
Wreckage of an airplane is barely visible in the tall grass of a field off Greenhill Road north of the Eugene Airport where an aircraft crashed Thursday morning.
The man was transported to PeaceHealth Sacred Heart Medical Center at RiverBend in Springfield in "serious to critical condition," according to Combs.
The plane was in pieces after the crash, Combs said, adding that the Sheriff's Office would stay on the scene until the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board arrive.
There is no indication of what caused the crash so far, Combs said.
Katy Earls, 38, lives across the field from where the crash happened, and said she didn't see anything but heard the sounds when the plane crashed.
"I thought it might have been crop dusting, because I heard it go by twice, I thought, and then I heard a sputter," Earls said. "I saw some people, fire trucks and ambulances drive by, and then I saw people looking in the field."
Assistant Airport Director Andrew Martz said the Eugene Airport was not investigating the issue because it's not on the airport's grounds.
"It's not on airport grounds, so it's not an airport matter," Martz said, noting that he did not know if the plane was heading for the Eugene Airport.
One person has been hospitalized for possibly life-threatening injuries.
Lane Fire Authority says the plane went down in a field near Greenhill Road and Meadowview Road around 10:30 Thursday morning.
First responders located one man with serious to critical injuries.
Eugene Police deployed a drone to further canvass the crash scene in search of an other victims.
"Because the pilot was non-responsive to us, we didn't know if he was by himself so EPD came out to help assure they were no more victims out in that grass field, which is hard to see through," Sgt. Marvin Combs from the Lane County Sheriff's Office said. "We don't believe there is one."
First responders said there is a debris field and that the FAA will handle the investigation into the crash.
The FAA offered this statement during the noon hour:
A single-engine Stoddard-Hamilton Glasair III crashed into a field approximately 1.5 miles north of the Mahlon Sweet Field Airport in Eugene, Ore., around 10:30 a.m. local time today. Preliminary reports indicate that only the pilot was on board. The FAA and NSTB will investigate.
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