Student, instructor killed in fiery helicopter crash

By Meghan Kalkstein KATU News and KATU.com Staff Published: Sep 20, 2009 at 6:00 PM PDT Last Updated: Sep 21, 2009 at 12:23 PM PDT
A light helicopter crashed into the woods to the left »Play Video
A light helicopter crashed into the woods to the left of this photograph, killing two people inside. Here Forest Grove rescue teams respond.

FOREST GROVE, Ore. - A training helicopter from Hillsboro Aviation crashed into a field south of Forest Grove, killing the pilot and one of the students inside.

Washington County sheriff's deputies have blocked off Fern Hill Road, the private road leading to the crash. One witness said he ran from the fruit stand where he works through the nearby field and right after the crash. There he found a burning helicopter. The other witness said she was too traumatized to talk on camera.

"I was working right there in my field, picking tomatoes," said witness Manuel Sosa, "when I heard the noise and I turned around and saw the thing just going down."

Then, he said, "all I see is black smoke going down in the air."

The owner of Hillsboro Aviation was at the crash scene Sunday night. Investigators for the Federal Aviation Administration also were at the scene, looking into the cause of the crash.

The crash happened just after 1 p.m. Sunday. Deputies said that they could tell immediately that two people were dead.

Sergeant Bob Ray of the Washington County Sheriff's Office said 34-year-old flight instructor Douglas Doty of Beaverton and 32-year-old trainee Thomas Hagner of Hillsboro died in the crash.

The cause of the crash is still under investigation. Compounding the mystery is the fact that sources tell KATU that Hagner already was a certified commercial helicopter pilot.