Herald staff
GOLD BAR – Rescuers Thursday recovered the bodies of three Spokane men killed in the crash Saturday of a Cessna 180 about three miles southeast of Gold Bar.
Snohomish County sheriff’s personnel, and search and rescue volunteers from King and Snohomish counties, along with an Army helicopter, spent most of the day retrieving the bodies from extremely rugged terrain. They delivered the bodies of pilot James Bleasner, 55, Peter Anest Sr., 78, and his brother, Sam Anest, believed to be in his early 70s, to the Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office. Autopsies were scheduled today.
The rescue included one mishap, said Jan Jorgensen, sheriff’s spokeswoman. As the helicopter landed, the wind from the rotors blew a panel of corrugated metal roofing off a building across the landing field, she said. The metal struck a King County rescue volunteer, causing deep cuts in his chin and shoulder. He was treated at Valley General Hospital in Monroe and released.
"He’s very, very fortunate," Jorgensen said.
The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board.
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