The pilot in a fatal Dec. 16 plane crash near Independence overshot the runway while attempting to land in heavy fog against the advice of his flight instructor, according to a preliminary federal accident report released last week.
The crash killed pilot Mohammad Husain Musawi, 35; and passengers Mohammad Bashir Safdari, 35, and Ali Jan Ferdawsi, 29, both licensed pilots. All three men were Afghan refugees who flew as military pilots in Afghanistan, aiding U.S. efforts, the Associated Press reported.
They were resettled in Salem by nonprofit resettlement agency Salem for Refugees in 2022, the agency said.
An examination of the wreckage of the Cessna 172G showed no mechanical failures or malfunctions that would have led to a crash, according to the report from the National Transportation Safety Board, which investigates transportation accidents.
The pilot departed the Independence State Airport and was practicing instrument approaches at the McMinnville Municipal Airport Saturday afternoon, his instructor told investigators. Muwasi did not have an instrument rating, which allows pilots to fly using the plane’s instruments for navigation when visibility is low.
The report said his pilot-passenger was instrument rated and acting as a safety pilot.
Muwasi had two successful instrument approaches at McMinnville and was on the ground when his instructor called, raising concerns about decreasing visibility.
“During the conversation, the flight instructor advised the pilot not to return to (Independence) because of the low visibility of about 500 ft,” the report said. The pilot said he would return to Independence, assess the conditions and either land, divert to McNary Field in Salem, or return to McMinnville.
The pilot also said he’d picked up a second pilot-rated passenger.
Flight data shows the plane was approaching runway 34 at Independence, and the pilot said via radio the plane was on final approach. The airplane made a 180-degree turn at about 1,200 feet.
“During the turn, the airplane overshot the runway centerline to the east, corrected but overshot the centerline to the west,” the report said.
The plane likely crashed first into a power pole around 4:52 p.m. before coming to rest in an open field adjacent to the airport.
The crash started a fire which “reduced the fuselage to ash,” the report said.
The plane’s owner had allowed Musawi to use the plane to earn his pilot’s license, and was continuing to allow him to use it to obtain an instrument rating and commercial license, the report said.
All three men killed were part of a pilot training program Salem for Refugees was running with a $200,000 grant from Willamette Workforce Partnership.
The program was intended to help experienced Afghan pilots receive U.S. certification and complete required flight hours to earn a commercial pilot’s license.
Salem for Refugees started a GoFundMe to pay for the men’s funeral expenses and assist their families, who were planning to join them in the U.S.
The fundraiser had raised $55,000 toward a $150,000 goal as of Wednesday.
Contact reporter Rachel Alexander: [email protected] or 503-575-1241.
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Rachel Alexander is Salem Reporter’s managing editor. She joined Salem Reporter when it was founded in 2018 and covers city news, education, nonprofits and a little bit of everything else. She’s been a journalist in Oregon and Washington for a decade. Outside of work, she’s a skater and board member with Salem’s Cherry City Roller Derby and can often be found with her nose buried in a book.
