Partner of Tragic Fairview Plane Crash Victim Files Lawsuit
In this photo provided by Portland Fire & Rescue, firefighters use handlines to extinguish the fire adjacent to the primary structure involved after a small plane crashed Saturday, Aug. 31, 2024, in Fairview, Ore. (Greg Muhr/Portland Fire & Rescue via AP)
On 8/31/2024 around 10:30 AM, within minutes of departing from the Troutdale Airport (TTD) for a maintenance test flight, a Cessna twin-engine Golden Eagle, N421GP, crashed into a residential neighborhood in Fairview, Oregon. Troutdale Airport, owned and operated by the Port of Portland, is a general aviation facility that primarily serves recreational pilots and flight students. It is located approximately nine miles east of the Portland International Airport (PDX).
The Federal Aviation Administration Registry revealed that the aircraft was owned by Circle Capital Industrial IAC LCC, 8 The GRN Ste A, Dover, Delaware 19901, one of the defendants identified in the lawsuit.
On the morning the tragedy unfolded, witnesses described hearing a loud explosion followed by billowing plumes of smoke as the aircraft collided with power lines, burst into flames and crashed into a row of eight townhouses. A 75 year-old woman, Barbara McDonald, who was sleeping in her home at the time, was killed.
Both occupants aboard the aircraft also perished - the pilot, 73 year-old Mike Busher of Beavercreek, Oregon, and flight instructor, 79 year-old Jackie Whitford from Arizona. Follow-up Oregonian coverage of the event revealed that "Whitford's flight instructor certificate had expired on July 31, 2022, and there was no medical information available on file for her so she wouldn't have been able to pilot the plane. Her family said she was riding as a passenger."
According to the Preliminary NTSB report:
"Examination of the accident site revealed that the first identifiable point of contact was high-tension powerline wires about 110 ft in height. The debris path, which consisted of various airplane fragments, vegetation, and residential structure debris was about 703 ft in length and 477 ft wide, oriented on a heading of about 120° magnetic. All major structural components of the airplane were located throughout the debris path. The main wreckage was located within a residential structure."
Nine thousand residents were left without power. At least four of the homes were rendered unlivable. Per an Associated Press article:
"The plane knocked over a pole and power lines as it went down, causing a separate brush fire in a nearby field, according to the Multnomah County sheriff's office. The plane was split into multiple parts as it crashed in the residential area."
Lawsuit Filed by Partner of Fairview Crash Victim
Below are the opening paragraphs of a 4/25/2025 KATU News segment by Jeff Kirsch, Wrongful Death Lawsuit Filed in Connection with Deadly Fairview Plane Crash. Scroll to the end of the report for a copy of the legal filing.
PORTLAND, Ore. (KATU) – The partner of a woman killed when a plane struck the townhome they shared filed a $10 million wrongful death lawsuit in Multnomah County Court Thursday.
Shortly after takeoff from Troutdale Airport, the plane had flown above the TPA or traffic pattern altitude.
The pilot said they were having "handling problems". According to court documents, the tower told all other planes to stand by and instructed the pilot to attempt to land on runway 7.
PAST COVERAGE | NTSB reveals details on Fairview plane crash that killed 3: 'I can't get this thing to-'
But they heard no further radio transmissions from the pilot and the plane continued to descend about 2 miles south of runway 25 and then struck a powerline before hitting an oak tree and slamming into McDonald's home on NE Heartwood Circle.
The suit names Circle Capital Industrial LLC, Emerald Aircrafters, and the estates of pilots Michael Busher and Jacqueline Whitford, who also died that day.
The lawsuit, which includes a demand for a jury trial, summarizes the tragic events leading up to Barbara McDonald's death as follows:
"Recorded surveillance video footage from a camera located about 1.4 miles west-southwest of runway 25 showed the accident airplane in a descending left turn with the landing gear extended. The airplane was on a southeasterly heading when the left wing struck high tension powerlines. The airplane continued a southeast heading and impacted a mature oak tree, and then slammed into Mrs. MacDonald's home, ripping through the roof and collapsing inside. Fuel spilled from the airplane, and was ignited inside the home, burning the residence, and Mrs. MacDonald. Mrs. MacDonald perished from her injuries."
This is the second lawsuit filed this year involving fatal accidents associated with Port of Portland owned and operated general aviation airports. In January, the parents of a student who died during a 10/03/2023 instructional flight, originating from the Hillsboro Airport, filed a lawsuit. In this event, the flight instructor also perished when the aircraft crashed into a residential home in Newberg, Oregon. A third passenger was seriously injured. For additional detail on this tragedy click here.
For information on other Portland Metro area fatal general aviation accidents click here.
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