3 people dead in small plane crash into Oregon power lines identified, police say

By Paradise Afshar, CNN

(CNN) — Three people died when a small plane crashed in Oregon and ignited a fire on Saturday afternoon, authorities said.

The single-engine plane crashed into power lines in the city of Independence shortly before 5 p.m. local time, knocking out power and sparking the small brush fire, according to the Independence Police Department.

Killed in the crash were the plane’s pilot, 35-year-old Mohammad Hussain Musawi of Independence, and passengers Mohammad Bashir Safdari, 35, of Independence and Ali Jan Ferdawsi, 29, of Salem, Oregon, police said a Sunday statement.

Officials said they were the only three people on board the plane, which the National Transportation Safety Board described as a Cessna C-172G fixed-wing single-engine plane.

“The plane was traveling, amidst heavy fog, to the Independence State Airport from McMinnville, Oregon,” police said Sunday.

Police said crews had to wait for high-voltage lines to be deenergized by the power company before going in to put out the fire and examine the crash site in Independence, about 58 miles south of Portland.

It’s unclear what led up to the crash. An NTSB investigator is headed to the crash site to document the scene and examine the aircraft, the NTSB said.

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident, along with local authorities.

This story has been updated with additional information.

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