COLFAX, Wash. – The Whitman County Sheriff’s Office said a 64-year-old man died in a ultralight aircraft crash Wednesday morning near the lower Granite Dam on the Snake River.
Officials were called to the area around 7:15 a.m. after an employee at the dam discovered the wreckage of the ultralight aircraft on his way to work. The employee told deputies he saw a portion of the small aircraft on the railroad tracks just east of Boyer Park, which caused him to be concerned.
When deputies arrived on scene they determined there was a single occupant dead inside the wreckage.
Authorities identified the pilot as Ronny Weston, 64, of Cheney. It is believed Weston was camping at Boyer Park with family members and had used the airstrip earlier around 6:30 a.m. Officials said he had just gotten the Solaris 16.8 ultralight aircraft.
The Spokane Fire Department tweeted Wednesday evening that Weston was a retired Spokane firefighter. In a statement released Thursday morning, Spokane Fire Chief Brian Schaeffer said Weston was hired by the department on March 1, 1999 and proudly served the community for 14 years. He retired on March 29, 2013.
The Whitman County Coroner’s Office and the Whitman County Sheriff’s Office are working to determine an exact cause and manner of death.
The FAA was also advised of the accident.