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NEWS RELEASE
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

For More Information
Contact: Mark Cahill or Lance Neibauer
541/318-1144 x102

LANCAIR COLUMBIA LOST IN LANDING ACCIDENT

January 11, 1999 - (Portland, OR) - On January 8th at approximately 6:30 p.m., a Lancair Columbia 300 crashed while attempting what was reportedly a second ILS approach to Portland International Airport (PDX).  Weather conditions at the time had rapidly diminished to Category 3 with less than a quarter of a mile visibility in dense fog.  The airplane went down in the Columbia River, short of runway 10L, west of PDX.  The pilot and passenger were still missing as of Sunday afternoon.
The aircraft was piloted by Lancair company pilot Hans Oesch, 39, of Bend, Oregon.   The passenger was 20-year-old Kimberly A. Kelley, also of Bend.  As of Monday morning, Multnomah County Sheriff's search and rescue personnel were continuing to search for the two.
A team of Lancair engineers and officials are currently working with the National Transportation Safety Board to assist in investigating the accident.
The Columbia 300 is a four-seat, fixed-gear aircraft and was certified under stringent FAA Part 23 regulations in the fall of 1998.
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