The Clark County Medical Examiner has identified the pilot of the plane that crashed at Goheen Airport north of Battle Ground in late September as Kenneth Shaffer, 76, of Trout Lake.
The Federal Aviation Administration’s preliminary report stated that the Cessna 172F Skyhawk piloted by Shaffer went down under unknown circumstances as the plane lost control and crashed into trees west of the runway vicinity.
Following the report, Keith Williams, a prominent aviation attorney, is calling on the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) to scrutinize maintenance records, adding that it is a case the NTSB has so far been unable to explain, a news release by Williams’ law office stated on Friday, Oct. 3.
“The crash, which killed the lone pilot on board a Cessna Skyhawk on September 26, has drawn national attention after the NTSB’s preliminary report listed the cause as ‘unknown,’” the release states. “But attorney Keith Williams, who has represented victims in dozens of high-profile aviation cases, says that’s not good enough.”
In addition to his practice, Williams is the past chair of the American Association for Justice’s Aviation Litigation Section, and he is a member of the Aviation and Space Law Committee of the American Bar Association’s Tort Trial and Insurance Practice Section.
In a FlightRadar24 app playback, a Cessna 172F Skyhawk appeared last on radar at 300 feet at a ground speed of 105 knots before going off radar at the airport. Additionally, on the Aviation Safety Network, information relayed the Cessna 172F Skyhawk, tail No. N8219U, having a manufacturing year of 1964.
“When a plane goes down without an immediate explanation, the first place investigators should look is the maintenance history,” said Williams, founder of the Keith Williams Law Group, in the release. “If there were no mechanical red flags, then communication logs between the pilot and tower should be reviewed. Right now, there are too many unanswered questions — and the public deserves answers.”
The flight path on globe.adsbexchange.com shows the Cessna originating on radar at 1,300 feet over Longview, likely taking off from the Southwest Washington Regional Airport in Kelso before heading over the Columbia River and then east to the north of Battle Ground. The plane made three loops over north Clark County between 1,500 feet and 2,000 feet from the ground. The last loop before heading toward Goheen Airport occurred near Northeast 299th Street and state Route 503.
A nearby resident, Jeff Waddell, said he saw an aircraft performing stalls around 1 p.m. from his farm near Northeast 299th Street and state Route 503.
The plane then flew toward Goheen, staying east of the runway around 800 feet before looping back and lining up with the runway. After lining up with the grass runway, the plane next reappeared on radar at 200 feet in the air southeast of the grass runway, leading to another loop reaching 1,000 feet in the air before turning too far west of the runway and coming back toward the runway. The plane is last on radar at 300 feet around 1:06 p.m.
The flight radar path also appears to have had a transponder issue in the area of the airport, located off Northeast 279th Street near Battle Ground, during the flight’s go-around leading to the crash.
Williams added in the news release that it’s critical for the NTSB to take a more aggressive approach — both to bring closure to the victim’s family and to ensure public safety moving forward.
“This isn’t just about one crash. It’s about accountability and prevention,” Williams added in the release.
