John McKibbin’s aircraft was lifted out of the Columbia River near Astoria, Ore., on Tuesday morning.
According to Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin, Bergerson Construction and AvTech Services used divers and floating cranes to pull McKibbin’s fragmented plane out from a depth of about 17 feet.
“We started at about 7 a.m. and most of the lifting was done before noon,” he said.
The plane came out of the river in several large pieces of twisted metal. Much of the aluminum body was stripped from the frame. The most intact piece was the rear of the fuselage, with its bright red tail and a short section of polished aluminum bearing World War II-era aircraft insignia on both sides.
McKibbin, a private pilot, and passenger Irene Mustain were killed when McKibbin’s personal aircraft, a 1941 North American AT-6A military trainer, crashed into the river for unknown reasons at about 4 p.m. March 23.
The two had taken off from Pearson Field in Vancouver on a mission to scatter the ashes of Mustain’s late husband on what would have been his birthday.
Divers discovered the bodies of Mustain and McKibbin on Friday, along with the plane’s wreckage. Divers were able to recover McKibbin’s body immediately, but Mustain’s body couldn’t be freed until Monday.
Now that the aircraft is recovered, the sheriff’s office will hand the investigation over to the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board.
Allen Kenitzer of the FAA said McKibbin didn’t file a flight plan before leaving Pearson Field and the AT-6A crashed under unknown circumstances.
The National Transportation Safety Board plans to release a preliminary report later this week.
McKibbin, 69, was a well-known and respected Clark County resident. He served for two terms in the Washington House as a Democrat. He also served as a Clark County commissioner and in numerous civic positions in the community over a career spanning more than 45 years.
‘His word was gold’
The Washington Legislature held a remembrance in the Senate chambers for McKibbin on Tuesday morning. His former colleagues referred to him as a highly respected and dedicated leader.
Sen. Ann Rivers, R-La Center, said McKibbin was a “testament (to) everything that is good about politics.”
She said his death was devastating and described him as a cooperative leader who fostered leadership in others with grace.
Rivers and Sen. Annette Cleveland, D-Vancouver, were working with McKibbin on the controversial plan to relieve congestion on the Interstate 5 corridor.
Cleveland said in addition to working with McKibbin over the years, he was a dear friend who opened his life to others. She said his hanger at Pearson Field was always open, always a hub, always a welcoming gathering place that her family flocked to.
“More often than not, whenever we went to the field, there was John,” Cleveland said.
She also said her friend had a huge heart and had “a tremendous capacity for giving.”
“John was a friend you could count on. His word was gold,” Cleveland said.
Columbian reporter Lauren Dake contributed to this story.
Dameon Pesanti: 360-735-4541; dameon.pesanti@columbian.com; twitter.com/dameonoemad
