Pilot Killed In Kittitas County Plane Crash ID’d As Waterville Woman

The pilot of a small airplane who was killed when it crashed earlier this week in Central Washington has been identified.

The Kittitas County Sheriff's Office says 70-year-old Susan Johnson of Waterville was the only person on board the Cessna Skyhawk 172 when it went down on Whiskey Dick Mountain near Vantage on Tuesday.

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Johnson's aircraft departed from McAllister Field in Yakima at just after 3 p.m. and was reported missing at around 11 p.m. after it disappeared from radar tracking.

The plane was discovered at around 9 a.m. the next morning by a Sheriff's Office helicopter crew who led ground searchers to the location where they recovered Johnson's body.

Johnson's aircraft was bound for Lake Chelan Airport when it crashed about 85 miles away in the area of the Wild Horse Wind Farm.

The National Transportation Safety Board is conducting an investigation into what caused the accident.

19 Country Artists Who Died in Tragic Crashes

Flip through the gallery below to remember the talented country musicians who died in bus, plane, motorcycle and car accidents. Though they may be gone, their memory lives on in the music they left behind.

Gallery Credit: Carena Liptak

Filed Under: Kittitas County Sheriff's Office, NTSB, plane crash, waterville

Categories: KPQ News