SEATTLE - A woman is recovering at Harborview Medical Center after she was injured a plane crash that killed the pilot. The small propeller plane went down Friday evening in the front yard of a rural home outside Morton.
Family members say Shane Sullivan died in the crash. He's a Bellevue resident, a father of two young girls, and he was the pilot of the plane that went down. He's also the owner of Cascade Risk Insurance, and colleagues say he was flying with a business associate named Rebecca Carroll.
Witnesses say the plane was coming in from the west, clipped a tree, and then crashed in the front yard near a chicken coop.
"The noise was unreal so I knew there was something wrong," said witness Bob Thomas.
The residents say they were not home at the time, but Thomas was across the street and ran over to help.
"They were both pinned in the plane itself," said Thomas.
Carroll was airlifted to Harborview and was listed in serious condition Saturday morning.
National Traffic Safety Board investigators are working to figure out what caused the crash.
"Some of these do have system that do have data that is recorded that assists us in investigation," said Kristi Dunks / NTSB Air Safety Investigator.
The plane crashed just short of an open field across the street. They think maybe that was the intended target.
"I think if he would have a few more feet up above he would have made it there... but it's a sad deal," said Thomas.
Family and friends are mourning the pilot, who they call a successful businessman and a well-liked community leader.
"He was just a very dedicated man in everything, life, family, his company, his employees, and will be greatly missed," said Sullivan's wife, Heather.
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