MADRAS, OR -- the National Transportation Safety Board has released the details of a small airplane crash that occurred near the Madras Municipal Airport just prior to the eclipse.
Mark Rich of Menlo Park, CA worked as an engineer for Google and Airbus. He died when his plane collided with a canyon wall on his final approach to the airport on the afternoon of August 19. Rich had planned to camp at the airport and participate at Solarfest.
The NTSB reports that a Madras airport controller working the tower during the time of the crash said Rich arrived on schedule and his final approach was modified. A plume of smoke was observed in the canyon shortly after Rich was cleared to land, approximately one nautical mile from the airport.
The NTSB report does not list a cause for the crash. To read the official National Transportation Safety Board report on the crash in its entirety, click HERE.
