SEQUIM — Two Sequim men killed in a single-engine plane crash north of Sequim Valley Airport on Friday were experienced pilots who were well-respected in the aviation community, the airport president said Saturday.
Carroll “Jeep” Larson, 68, of Sequim was the owner and pilot of the Van’s RV8 aircraft that crashed into a muddy field about a half-mile from the west end of the runway.
Robert “Bob” Reandeau Sr., 61, also of Sequim, was a passenger in the two-seat, low-wing experimental aircraft that was built in 2008.
“He was active in the aviation community on all fronts,” said Andy Sallee, president of Sequim Valley Airport and a close friend of Reandeau’s.
“If you’re a pilot in Clallam County, you probably know Bob.”
Sallee said he was “surprised” by the crash because both men were meticulous, safety-conscious pilots.
Larson was a naval aviator and a former Northwest Airlines pilot who practiced general aviation in retirement.
Reandeau flew for San Juan Airlines, Coastal Airways and Westport Shipyard, and probably logged between 10,000 and 20,000 hours in the air, Sallee said.
“Both guys were excellent pilots and sticklers on safety,” he added.
The men took off from William R. Fairchild International Airport in Port Angeles for routine flight testing above Sequim.
“Bob was very safety-conscious and very methodical with all his students,” Sallee said.
Sallee declined to speculate on the cause of the crash but ruled out weather.
Skies were clear and winds were calm at the time of the crash.
“Something terrible went wrong real quick,” he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.
Witnesses said the pilot was practicing “touch and go” landing maneuvers before the plane nosed and crashed about 2 p.m.
A witness who heard the impact called 9-1-1 dispatchers at 2:08 p.m.
Sue Stromvall, who lives on Meadow Lark Lane north of the airport, watched the plane through her living room window.
She said it appeared that the pilot was “putting the plane through its paces” and made a tight left turn before it suddenly nose-dived. She said the plane was “quite a ways up” when it happened.
“It looked like it tried to turn too tightly, like doing a U-turn,” said Stromvall, adding that she isn’t familiar with aviation.
She said the plane was flying east and then banked to the north and west before it nose-dived.
“The plane turned vertical wing-to-wing, then over a bit more so the back of the plane was a little over center,” Stromvall said.
“Then it dropped like a rock.”
No fire or smoke
A tree line prevented Stromvall from seeing the impact. She saw no smoke.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office there was no fire or explosion.
“It just dropped straight down,” Stromvall said.
“I said to my husband, ‘That doesn’t look good.'”
Jim Parker, whose home is next to the field where the plane crashed, said he heard a loud noise, then went outside to see that the craft had hit the muddy, freshly plowed field nose first.
“All that’s left is the tail,” Parker said.
The plane lay crumpled in a field behind a house at 5612 Old Olympic Highway.
Unsure if passenger
Investigators were initially unsure if a second person was aboard the plane, said Lt. Robert Rhoads of Clallam County Fire District No. 3.
Fire District 3 responded with three engines and three paramedic units. Several Clallam County sheriff’s units were also at the scene.
Until Friday, there had never been a fatality at or near Sequim Valley Airport since the 3,500-foot runway opened in 1983, Sallee said.
Planes have taken off from Sequim and crashed, but never so close to the airport.
Paul Reandeau, Robert Reandeau Sr.’s uncle, got word of the crash from Clallam County sheriff’s deputies on Friday night.
“It’s kind of a shock,” Reandeau said after returning from the crash scene Saturday afternoon.
He declined further comment.
Clallam County sheriff’s spokesman Jim Borte said both men had hangar space at the airport.
Investigators were removing wreckage Saturday. They will try to reconstruct the plane as part of the investigation, Sallee said.
Sallee said Reandeau was his son’s flight instructor and a “real positive mentor in his life.”
“They were two great guys,” Sallee said of the victims.
“This is a sad day for a lot of people.”
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Sequim-Dungeness Valley Reporter Diane Urbani de la Paz contributed to this report.
Reporter Rob Ollikainen can be reached at 360-417-3537 or at rob.ollikainen@peninsuladailynews.com.
