Local pilot recovers from plane crash

A Bonners Ferry flight instructor returned to work Monday after crashing a student’s plane while taking off from a California airport on April 15.

“I’m back to normal and back in the air,” Nathaniel Cheshire said.

The Federal Aviation Administration determined mechanical failure caused Cheshire to lose control of the plane, which was destroyed after plunging 50 feet to the ground. The 29-year-old and his student-passenger, Brett Evans of Sandpoint, suffered minor injuries.

“Thankfully, we walked away,” said Cheshire, an instructor for Northern Air at Boundary County Airport. “God caught us.”

Cheshire and Evans had traveled to Sonora, Calif., 100 miles southeast of Sacramento so Evans could buy the plane, which he had found on the Internet.

“This fellow who was selling it had lost his medical certificate and canceled the insurance on it, and wouldn’t let us test fly it until we bought it,” Cheshire said.

After Evans paid $20,000 for the plane, Cheshire took it for a test flight with Evans from Colombia Airport.

“We took off into the wind on a short run, and when I tried to take off, it wouldn’t accelerate and it wouldn’t climb,” Cheshire said. “I was just trying to fly and avoid hitting trees and obstacles.”

“There were power lines and I was going to clip them,” he continued. “When I turned around into the trees, the plane stalled and crashed into the ground.”

FAA investigators indicated the plane lost power due to problems with a cylinder.

“Both spark plus were fouled on the number two cylinder, which was the cause for not being able to climb,” Cheshire said.