Plane crashes near Hailey
A man and woman from Boise were aboard a plane that crashed Tuesday east of Hailey.
According to Blaine County Sheriff’s Office spokesman Captain Jay Davis, about 7:03 p.m. Tuesday, a report came in that a small plane had gone down on the mountain just east of Hailey. The plane’s pilot and passenger were taken to the St. Luke’s Wood River Medical Center by medical helicopter, then later flown to St. Luke’s Regional Medical Center in Boise.
The plane’s pilot, Paul Tower, 56, of Boise, reported that he attempted to activate the Auto Pilot just after take-off from the Friedman Memorial Airport with a pre- programmed course he had set earlier -- when he noticed the Auto Pilot did not seem to engage correctly.
The plane then banked sharply to the left and he could see the mountain in his landing lights. He pulled up to slow the plane, but the plane impacted the mountain on the ridge at the top of Water Gulch.
The plane’s passenger is identified as Christina Rathbun, 40, also of Boise. Water Gulch is located east of the Woodside Elementary School in the City of Hailey.
This crash is currently under investigation by the FAA.
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