Updated: Plane crashes in Agnew neighborhood

By Matthew Nash • July 30, 2023 1:30 am
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 investigate a plane crash in Agnew on July 29. Its pilot was transported to Olympic Medical Center, and later treated and released. The passenger was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remains in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.
Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 investigate a plane crash in Agnew on July 29. Its pilot was transported to Olympic Medical Center, and later treated and released. The passenger was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remains in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.

A Sequim man and woman were reported to have non-life-threatening injuries after their airplane crashed in an Agnew neighborhood late Saturday night.

Clallam County Fire District 3 Battalion Chief Chris Turner said a 1964 Piper Cherokee was flying July 29 from Bellingham towards the Sequim Valley Airport just before 11:20 p.m. when it crashed into an apple tree and landed on its left side in the middle of the 100 block of Roman Road, off Shore Road in Port Angeles.

Turner said the pilot, later identified as Lyle Scott Brooksby, was transported with minor injuries to Olympic Medical Center in Port Angeles. Hospital spokesperson Bobby Beeman said he was treated and released.

The other passenger, identified later as Karen Brooksby, was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and spokesperson Susan Gregg said she was in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.

Turner said the couple had to be extracted from the airplane.

Chief Criminal Deputy Amy Bundy with the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said initial reports suggested the plane ran out of fuel, but the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) is investigating the circumstances of the crash.

The FAA has posted the preliminary incident report on its website but has no additional details at this time.

A power outage was reported in the Sequim/Agnew area on Friday night, but not on Saturday night when the crash occurred, Clallam PUD representatives said.

Andy Sallee, president of Sequim Valley Airport, said he did not want to comment on the incident until the FAA investigates.

“I’m glad everyone is going to be OK and my thoughts and prayers go out to his wife for a quick recovery,” Sallee said.

There was no fire during the incident, Turner said, and firefighters provided fire suppression protection, shut off the plane’s fuel supply and battery switches, and isolated the Emergency Location Transmitter (ELT).

One wing was lodged in the apple tree, part of a fence was knocked down, and the plane crashed about four miles west of the airport.

One neighbor reported to first responders they heard a “whoosh” over their home, while other neighbors who asked to remain anonymous said it sounded like a tin can crunching, and an RV rolling down the road during the crash.

Another neighbor said they were used to hearing noisy traffic from Shore Road, so they were unsure what was happening.

Firefighters cut the plane’s other wing off, so it all could be towed away on a flatbed trailer by Evergreen Towing.

Fire District 3, Olympic Ambulance, Clallam County Sheriff’s Office and Washington State Patrol responded to the crash.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 investigate a plane crash in Agnew on July 29. Its pilot was transported to Olympic Medical Center, and later treated and released. The passenger was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remains in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 investigate a plane crash in Agnew on July 29. Its pilot was transported to Olympic Medical Center, and later treated and released. The passenger was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remains in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 investigate a plane crash in Agnew on July 29. Its pilot was transported to Olympic Medical Center, and later treated and released. The passenger was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remains in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.

Sequim Gazette photo by Matthew Nash/ Firefighters with Clallam County Fire District 3 investigate a plane crash in Agnew on July 29. Its pilot was transported to Olympic Medical Center, and later treated and released. The passenger was flown to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle and remains in satisfactory condition as of Monday afternoon.