2 homes ablaze after plane crash in Ore.

[laststeamtrain]

HILLSBORO, Ore. - A plane participating in an air show crashed into a residential neighborhood near the Hillsboro Airport, setting at least two homes on fire.

Connie King, a spokeswoman for the Hillsboro Fire Department, said three homes were hit, but she did not know if there were any injuries.

The crash happened toward the end of the two-day Hillsboro Air Show.

Witness Kory Hauser said the plane, an older model jet, went down about 4:30 p.m. about a mile and a half from the airport, the (Salem) Statesman Journal reported.

"It was doing a loop and couldn't pull out in time," he told the paper. "It clipped about three houses and went down."

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20060717/ap_on_re_us/plane_crash_3

(Note: Hillsboro is West of Portland)

[Viva_La_Revolution]

1. watching it now...local tv is all over it.

can't quite see the smoke from my house...

old swedish fighter plane?

[ayeshahaqqiqa]

2. Oh dear

I hope no one was in the homes when it happened.

[laststeamtrain]

3. One person "unaccounted for" according to local TV news

[Viva_La_Revolution]

5. figuring the pilot didn't make it

:(

[laststeamtrain]

6. Guess not. Hobby plane.

British fighter from the '50s.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

8. a Hawker Hunter

but it was painted bright blue

[laststeamtrain]

9. Probably used at Suez. Haunted.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armstrong_Whitworth_Sea_Hawk

[Viva_La_Revolution]

10. retired Swiss military

in service for 50 years

Hunter used in 19 countries

so says the tv

[laststeamtrain]

11. "The country of 500 years of peace"--I was just getting all Twilight Zone

for a second. Middle East history on the brain...go figure.

[rubberducky]

4. People trying to have a good time and ending in

:cry:

[Thew]

7. Live a few miles away

Literally, under the show...and work across the road from the airport. Had no idea until I checked DU - a little freaked out now...

[laylah]

12. Thew! Stupid question time...

where is Hillsdale from Portland? My daughter lives in the area :scared:

[Thew]

13. about 12-15 miles W-SW from Portland

South of Hwy 26

edited to add that they are reporting no casualties on the ground, if that helps.

[MissB]

16. Thew, did you notice she asked about Hillsdale, not

Hillsboro?

[MissB]

14. Not Thew, but Hillsboro is where this happened.

Hillsdale is much closer to Portland (really, just a bit SW of downtown proper. Hillsboro, on the other hand, is west of Portland, along Hwy 26 - 10 or 15 miles or something like that.

[Viva_La_Revolution]

15. map

http://homes-for-sale-portland.com/portland-map.html

[laststeamtrain]

17. Update: From press conference

Plane was part of 'static' display in the air show. It was taking off to return to So. Cal. home. Plane did not fly in the show.

Yikes. Sat there for 2 days. Then took off the go home & crashed.

Pilot perished. No name at present.

Bad news.

[MissB]

18. It was a foregone conclusion that the pilot died.

Early on, the news stations came to that conclusion. Apparently when a former military jet is sold to a private party, all things that can go boom are removed, apparently including the ejection mechanism of the seat. He couldn't have gotten out had he wanted to, although I'm betting he knew he was doomed and was trying to limit on-ground casualties.