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About Portland observer. (Portland, Or.) 1970-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2024)
January 10, 2024 Page 21 Martin Luther King Jr. 2024 Special Edition Power Lines Plane Crash Causes Fatalities HELLO, ACCESS CHECKING Mohammad Hussain Musawi, center, stands with his flight instruc- tor, left, and Darin Chung, co-founder of the Afghan American Development Group, a nonprofit that helps former Afghan military aviation personnel with refugee resettlement assistance in the U.S., at a flight hangar in Independence, Ore. on April 7, 2023. (Nikki Chung via AP) All 3 Men were Afghan Air Force Pilots who resettled as refugees AP- A former Afghan Air Force pilot training for a commercial li- cense in Oregon ignored his flight instructor’s advice to not return to a small airport because of low visibility. The plane later crashed, killing the pilot and the other two passengers on board, according to a preliminary federal report of the accident released Friday. All three men killed in the ac- cident Dec. 16 were former Af- ghan pilots who fought with the American military. Local non- profit Salem for Refugees said it resettled the men in the Salem area last spring. The pilot, Mohammad Hus- sain Musawi, 35, and the two passengers, Mohammad Bashir Safdari, 35, and Ali Jan Ferdaw- si, 29, died in the crash near In- dependence, a small city in the Willamette Valley about 12 miles (19 kilometers) southwest of Sa- lem. The National Transportation Safety Board’s report said an examination of the airframe and the engine of the Cessna 172G airplane revealed no mechani- cal malfunctions or failures. The plane’s owner allowed the pilot to use the Cessna to get his private pilot’s certificate and to obtain his instrument rating and commercial pilot’s certificate, the report said. Musawi told his flight instructor that he and a pilot-rated passenger would fly from Independence to the McMinnville airport to prac- tice instrument approaches, the re- port said. The two small cities are about 30 miles apart by road. Two approaches were made at McMinnville before the plane landed. The flight instructor, who was electronically monitor- ing the flight, called Musawi and advised him not to return to In- dependence because of low vis- ibility of about 500 feet due to fog, the report said. Musawi told the instructor that he would fly to Independence, assess the situation and either at- tempt to land, divert to Salem or return to McMinnville, the report said. He also said he had picked up a second pilot-rated passenger in McMinnville. Air traffic control recordings indicate the pilot made two position reports on approach that included his intention to land in Independence, the report said. He also electronically activated the pilot-controlled landing lights to medium intensity. The pilot overshot the runway to the east, overcorrected and overshot it to the west and came to rest inverted on the edge of an open field next to airport proper- ty, the report said. A fire reduced the fuselage to ash, but the wings did not catch on fire, the report said. The en- gine had separated from the air- plane, and it was found about 60 feet (18 meters) northwest of the main wreckage, the report said. The plane likely first hit an 80-foot utility pole, located about 60 feet (18 meters) south- east of the wreckage. The pole was in three piec- es. The top 4 feet (1.22 meters) of the pole shattered and was strewn in the wreckage. The middle section, about 12 feet (3.66 meters) in length, fell onto the right wing, and about 69 feet (21 meters) of the original pole remained standing. Because we all deserve access to a free, simple checking account FREE checking, $5 to open, no minimum balance ZERO overdraft fees, no fee to use Advantis ATMs NO FEES to cash checks or send money with Zelle ® We're proud to be one of the only credit unions in Oregon to offer a Bank On Certified checking account, meeting strict standards for a safe, affordable, and inclusive account with no overdraft fees. Open online in minutes. advantiscu.org/access Courtesy Pay (Discretionary Overdraft) is not available on this account. Any items presented for payment on this account will be returned unpaid or declined if the available balance in the account is not sufficient to pay the item. Zelle ® and the Zelle ® -related marks are wholly owned by Early Warning Services, LLC and are used herein under license. Terms and conditions apply. Federally insured by NCUA. OPEN TODAY
