Darwin Gearey

A float plane flipped as it landed near Stehekin Lodge on Lake Chelan, killing two and injuring four, Saturday, May 17, 2008.

STEHEKIN, Wash. - The investigation continues after a man and woman were killed Saturday when the float plane they were riding incrashed into Lake Chelan near the remote resort community of Stehekin.

William F. Stifter, 64, of Spokane, and Roberta R. Pitts, 67, of Stehekin, were pronounced dead upon arrival at the hospital.

The pilot of the plane, Howard ("Brick") E. Wellman, 61, of Chelan , received head lacerations and other non-life threatening injuries.  He was airlifted to Chelan for treatment.

Patricia A. Stifter, 60, wife of William Stifter, was taken to Chelan for treatment of hypothermia. A 16-year-old Stehekin girl seated in the rear of the plane was treated for mild hypothermia at the scene. She remained in Stehekin with family members.

The single-engine DeHavilland Beaver was a charter flight from Chelan Airways that had taken off from the town of Chelan about 4:30 p.m. It crashed about 15 minutes later, flipping onto its top as it tried to land at Stehekin, said Jeff Middleton, chief criminal deputy for the Chelan County sheriff's department.

The Sheriff's Department says witnesses told them the wheels were protruding from both of the plane's floats as it attempted the water landing. It's believed that the protruding wheels caused the plane to nose dive into the water upon impact. The plane eventually turned completely upside down in the lake.

Investigators with The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration were expected to arrive in Stehekin on Sunday to take over the crash investigation.

Stehekin is a remote hamlet at the north end of Lake Chelan accessible only by boat or float plane or by hiking in through North Cascades National Park.