Lane County, OR Plane Crash: Pilot Hurt on Sears Road Sunday

Lane County, OR – A pilot escaped with minor injuries after an airplane crashed in a field Sunday afternoon along Sears Road in Lane County, prompting a response from deputies and firefighters.

According to the Lane County Sheriff's Office, authorities received a report of a plane crash at approximately 12:10 p.m. Sunday, Sept. 27, in the 79800 block of Sears Road.

The initial caller was a passerby who reported seeing a person sitting in a field next to an airplane.

South Lane Fire and Rescue personnel arrived first and began treating the pilot. Authorities said the pilot suffered only minor injuries despite the apparent damage to the aircraft.

Investigators determined that the pilot was the only person aboard the plane when it went down.

The sheriff's office said another aviator had been following the aircraft and witnessed the crash. Information gathered from that witness has been relayed to the National Transportation Safety Board, which has been notified about the incident.

Photographs released by the sheriff's office show the small aircraft resting in a field with significant visible damage around its front section.

Officials did not release the pilot's identity or provide information about where the aircraft had departed from or where it was headed.

Authorities also have not announced what investigators believe caused the plane to crash.

The Lane County Sheriff's Office said the investigation remains ongoing, with information being shared with federal aviation investigators.

No additional injuries were reported in the sheriff's initial release, and officials said there was no further information available for release at this time.