Couple who died in Mount Walker plane crash were headed to California
By Jeff Chew and Paige Dickerson, Peninsula Daily News
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The wreckage was found by Jefferson County deputies and state Department of Transportation officials along with searchers in a King County sheriff's helicopter, said Tim Perry, Jefferson County undersheriff, on Friday.
The helicopter was used to recover the bodies from the rugged site at 2,000 feet late Friday afternoon, said Perry, who set up a command post at Jefferson County International Airport.
From there the helicopter, known as Guardian 1, departed and returned.
The bodies were taken to Kosec Funeral Home in Port Townsend, where arrangements were to be made.
Perry identified the victims as the plane's registered owner, Wilburn O. Ingham, 77, and his wife, Norma Ingham, 64.
The plane was piloted by Norma Ingham, said Wilburn Ingham's son-in-law, Steve McHan of Sonoma, Calif., who called his father-in-law "Bill."
The couple had been married for about 27 or 28 years and had flown together often, McHan said on Saturday.
"Both of them were pilots and they have logged many hours together in their married life, but because of a heart condition, Bill had not opted to renew his pilot's license," McHan said
Plane took off on Thursday
The plane, a modified Cessna 205, took off from Lopez Island, about 60 miles north of Quilcene, Thursday morning, headed for Madera, Calif.
Family members called the Federal Aviation Administration when it didn't arrive as scheduled, said agency spokesman Mike Fergus.
The FAA checked its radar, which last showed the plane over the Olympic Peninsula at 9:20 a.m. Thursday.
Perry said Transportation employees first used the King County helicopter to search for the plane on Thursday.
However, said Perry, it was mistakenly reported back that the couple landed at the California destination on time, which led to the search being called off.
"The family members later called and said they had not arrived," Perry said.
"We didn't know anything about it until 2 p.m. Friday."
Spotted from helicopter
Perry said no ground search-and-rescue crew was needed, since the wreckage was spotted from the helicopter.
"It was kind of slick how they found it," Perry said.
"They went to air traffic control and tracked the radar down to the last place they had them on radar.
"Then they flew in a straight line and used a (Global Position System) and looked down and there was the wreck."
After locating the wreckage, Perry said, the King County sheriff's pilot managed to find a small clearing about 200 yards from the crash scene.
Searchers found the wreck in the woods at the 2,000-foot level of Mount Walker, between Quilcene and Brinnon.
The mountain's summit is at 2,804 feet.
Rescuers then hiked to the scene to recover the bodies.
There was no immediate indication what caused the crash, Perry said.
National Transportation and Safety Board investigators were contacted Friday to investigate, but were not expected to arrive until this week.
McHan said that his father-in-law was a retired dentist, while Norma Ingham was practicing as a dental hygienist in Lopez Island.
Both were involved in the Seventh Day Adventist Church and had recently started up a group of their own on Lopez Island.
She sang in the community choir.
"Being involved in the community was really important to them," McHan said.
"They really enjoyed living on the island."
The couple had retired to the island 13 years ago from Sacramento, Calif.
"He really wanted to retire there," McHan said.
"They liked the peace and tranquillity of that area."
Norma Ingham is survived by two sons, Dennis Crawford of Mount Vernon, and David Crawford of Manero, Calif.
Wilburn Ingham is survived by one son, Ken Ingham of Sacramento, Calif., and two daughters, Kelly McHan of Sonoma, Calif., and Kathy Bolejack of Denver, Colo.
________
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Paige Dickerson can be reached at 360-417-3535 or paige.dickerson@peninsuladailynews.com.
The Associated Press contributed to this story.
Last modified: June 09. 2007 9:00PM