A small plane crashed into a home in unincorporated King County near the City of Woodinville on Saturday, killing the pilot, a Redmond man, and critically injuring the passenger on board.

David Weed, community services officer for Woodinville Fire and Rescue (WFR), said they received a call at 2:53 p.m. about a plane crashing into a single-family home near Northeast 144th Street and 232rd Avenue Northeast.

The pilot, 45-year-old Jay Uusitalo, was found dead at the scene. The King County Medical Examiner’s Office has listed the cause of death as blunt force to the head, torso and extremities.

The passenger is a teen from Eastern Washington and Uusitalo’s nephew.

COULD HAVE BEEN WORSE

The teen, who Weed said, “was conscious and alert when (their) crews arrived” and told them he is 15, was rushed to Harborview Medical Center with severe lacerations to the head and chest and internal injuries. His condition was initially categorized as critical but he has improved to serious on Sunday.

Weed said it took about 15 minutes to extricate the teen from the wreckage. Once the teen was removed, rescue crews were able to focus their attention on Uusitalo, who was already deceased.

When the plane crashed, Weed said it was sideways with its wings at a vertical angle. The lower wing had clipped a minivan parked in the driveway of the house and the nose of the plane was in the garage. Weed said the upper wing scraped the side of the house but there was no real structural damage to the house.

There were two people in the house at the time of the crash and they were in the room right above the garage.

“Literally right there,” Weed said about how close they were to the plane’s upper wing.

Neither was injured and Weed pointed out that while Uusitalo’s death was tragic, things could have been much worse.

“It could’ve been four fatalities very easily,” he said.

Weed said one of the individuals in the house during the crash lived there and their parents — the homeowners — had been out of town for the weekend and returned on Sunday. The second individual was a friend.

Although the damage to the house was mostly cosmetic, Weed said they shut off all utilities and power on Saturday as there was a fuel spill. WFR crews stayed on the scene Saturday to assist with fuel absorption.

“We contained the fuel leak,” Weed said.

THE INVESTIGATION

The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is currently investigating the crash and air safety investigator Tom Little said it usually takes six to nine months to be completed.

Little, the investigator in charge (IIC) on the Woodinville crash, said during an investigation, the NTSB looks at three things: weather conditions; the pilot, their qualifications, experience, ratings medical certifications and more; and the aircraft.

Although he still needs to look at the weather reports for Saturday, Little pointed out that it was a nice day.

“The weather was not an issue here…There wasn’t really any wind,” he said. “It was a beautiful day.”

Little doesn’t know too much about Uusitalo other than that he was a private pilot and his plane had been based in Renton. He said he will see if Uusitalo’s family will be able to provide him with the pilot’s flight times and records, log book, maintenance records and other information.

In looking at the plane — a Maule from about 1970 that seats five, according to Little — the investigator said he will be looking for design flaws, malfunctioning parts or other shortcomings that may have caused the plane to crash.

“I’m not saying that was the cause here,” Little clarified, adding that this is what the NTSB would do for any investigation.

He said witnesses have said before the plane crashed, the aircraft had been cutting out and the propellor had not been turning. Little said because of this, they will take a close look at the plane’s fuel system and engine.

A ‘VERY SAFE AIRPLANE’

Tom Wrolstad of Molalla, Ore. sold Uusitalo the Maule a few years ago and said the aircraft “was in good condition when (he) sold it to (Uusitalo).” Wrolstad said the plane went through an inspection before he bought it several years ago and it was subject to the required annual inspections.

“I’m a real stickler for maintenance,” he said, adding that makes sure to work with licensed mechanics.

Wrolstad said before Uusitalo bought the Muale, the other man had the plane inspected, as well. He said the plane had a good motor and doesn’t know what could have happened that led to the crash on Saturday.

“These are very safe airplanes,” Wrolstad said.

MAKING RECOMMENDATIONS

He said if they do find a flaw or malfunction after an investigation, the NTSB would offer a recommendation to the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) — which is also investigating the crash, along with the King County Sheriff’s Office. Recommendations are made to enhance aviation safety and Little said they could range from sending out an aviation alert to grounding all aircrafts of a specific model, such as the case with the overheating batteries in the Boeing 787s.

The plane has been removed from the house and is currently in Auburn. Little said he will be examining it on Wednesday.