Hannibal Woodward, 42, of Vancouver, the man believed to be the pilot in Wednesday afternoon’s fatal plane crash at Pearson Field, remained in critical condition at a local hospital Thursday morning.
The crash happened just after 4 p.m. Witnesses reported the home-built aircraft owned by Woodward had just taken off and was a few hundred feet off the ground when it started having engine problems. The plane circled the field and crashed between the runway and Fort Vancouver.
Firefighters with the Vancouver Fire Department responded and found bystanders performing CPR on one of two injured men in the plane, said Kevin Stromberg, a firefighter-paramedic. The unidentified man was pronounced dead at the scene, Stromberg said.
Woodward was taken by ambulance to PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center. He was listed in critical condition Thursday morning, a nursing supervisor said.
George Welch, President of Pearson’s Pilot Association, said Woodward is a competent pilot who volunteers at Pearson Field and is working on his advanced pilot rating.
