James F. Londo of Everett, 60, died following a plane crash in Cowlitz County on Saturday despite the heroic efforts of the plane’s pilot, his brother, to get help, police said Sunday.
Robert Londo, 47, also of the Everett area, was flying the small plane from McMinnville, Ore., to Everett when the crash occurred, according to the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. The pilot’s son, Kaiser Londo, 16, was also on the plane.
The Lewis County Sheriff’s Office received a call about 5:30 p.m. Saturday about a possible plane crash between Kelso and Toledo east of I-5, according to Capt. Mark Nelson of the Cowlitz County Sheriff’s Office. At about 10 a.m. Sunday, a motorist driving down a logging road saw the injured pilot and picked him up.
Londo had walked about three miles barefoot overnight, Nelson said. He had left pieces of the wrecked plane in a clearing so they could be seen from the air, and also carried some pieces with him and left them at different places along the logging road to attract attention.
“This man did absolutely everything possible to facilitate a successful rescue,” Nelson said.
Robert Londo was injured and had apparently suffered burns, Nelson said.
The motorist took Londo to a fire station, and personnel responded to the scene. James Londo was still alive when crews arrived, but they were unable to save him, Nelson said. The pilot and his injured son were treated at St. John Hospital in Longview.
A small forest fire caused by the wreck broke out near the site and took four hours to extinguish, Nelson said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were investigating the cause of the crash, police said.
“We had some horrible, horrible weather down here (Saturday) afternoon around that time,” Nelson said. “What role that played, I don’t know.”
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