Plane Crashes Onto Shop in Lebanon

A small airplane crash-lands on top of a store in Lebanon. Both Knox and his passenger, Steve Edmiston were injured in the crash.

The pilot and passenger were both conscious and talking to the rescue crews, firefighters said. In the call he said he and the pilot, 78-year-old Marion Knox of Lebanon, had minor injuries and were still inside the aircraft. They were rescued from the plane and taken to the hospital with injuries described as non-life threatening.

The position of the airplane on the roof was somewhat precarious, requiring firefighters to secure the aircraft prior to extricating the victims.

Jeff Walters, a neighbor who witnessed the crash, said the plane had been circling the area for about 45 minutes. The plane began experiencing mechanical difficulty and Knox aborted the landing. But, a Lebanon pilot hit a little hard on his landing attempt today. When firefighters arrived they found a two seat light plane had crashed on top of a shop building.

Linn County Sheriff’s deputies learned that Knox had taken off from a private airstrip nearby and attempted to land after flying for a short time.