Victims identified in fatal Pasco plane crash that cut power, triggered fire 

PASCO — Two California men died Wednesday afternoon after their Cessna 195 airplane struck a power line and crashed into the Pasco side of the Columbia River.

Franklin County Coroner Curtis McGary identified the victims as pilot Randy J. Johnson, 64, and passenger Eric Wayne Houston, 50, both of Sonoma, California. They had departed the Napa River, located in the Napa, California, area around 7 a.m., bound for a Priest Lake, Idaho air show. Autopsies are scheduled for Friday in Spokane.

The impact severed a power line, triggering a series of secondary emergencies. The resulting outage disabled the Butterfield Water Treatment Plant, leading officials to request that local residents restrict water usage. On land, the downed line ignited a brush fire near Riverview Park, which Pasco firefighters extinguished. Across the river, emergency crews from Kennewick responded to another section of the fallen line on Clover Island.

Following the crash, the aircraft capsized and drifted downstream. Pasco Fire personnel used a vessel to restrain the inverted, submerged plane. A massive multi-agency response followed, drawing watercraft from the Coast Guard, Columbia Basin Dive Rescue, and local sheriffs’ offices, while local police and Washington State Patrol secured the scene. Lampson Crane has offered specialized equipment to extract the aircraft.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating the pilot, aircraft, and operating environment. NTSB spokesperson Peter Knudson stated that the wreckage will be moved to a secure facility for evaluation once documented. Investigators are gathering flight data, maintenance logs, weather records, and surveillance video. Anyone with information is asked to email witness@ntsb.gov.

Photo courtesy Columbia Basin Dive Rescue

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