PORT TOWNSEND — Federal investigators removed a small plane Tuesday from a wooded area on a golf course after it crashed Monday.
The inquiry into what caused the crash near the Discovery Bay Golf Club’s 17th hole continued.
The plane, a two-seater 1965 Cessna 150, crashed into the brush at about 1:20 p.m., said Bill Beezley, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesman.
The two inside the plane — Stephen L. Smith, the owner of the plane, and Deborah L. Smith of Snohomish — were extricated from the wreckage and then airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Both were listed in serious condition in intensive care Tuesday.
Investigators with the Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board removed the plane at about 1 p.m. Tuesday.
The upper nine holes were closed for scheduled maintenance, so the investigation had no effect on golfers, according to club manager Randy White.
The two federal agencies work in concert, examining a variety of contributing factors such as reviewing communications between air traffic control and determining if the aircraft was operating under a flight plan and instrument flight rules, according to Allen Kenitzer, FAA spokesman.
The FAA will conduct a flight profile evaluation and analysis, looking for any anomalies or problems with the flight, then turn the information over to the National Transportation Safety Board, known as NTSB, to determine the cause of the crash, Kenitzer said.
Some determination could be made as soon as next week, NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said, although the full investigation could take up to 18 months.
Holloway and Kenitzer were speaking in general terms and had no specific information about the crash.
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Jefferson County Editor Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or cbermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
Reporter Mark Swanson can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5054, or mswanson@peninsuladailynews.com.
