McKibbin’s body recovered in plane crash near Astoria (updated)

The red dot represents the area where officials say John McKibbin's small plane crashed into the Columbia River.

This article has been updated to include the recovery of Irene Mustain’s body.

Divers have recovered the body of Identity Clark County president John McKibbin, two days after the small plane he was piloting crashed into the Columbia River near Astoria.

According to the Clatsop County Sheriff’s Office, an eight-member dive team discovered McKibbin’s plane Friday afternoon on the bottom of the river. The plane was broken into numerous pieces, officials said.

While the dive team was able to recover McKibbin’s body over the weekend, his passenger on the two-seater plane, Irene Mustain of Vancouver, was not recovered until Monday due to the position of the wreckage.

The airplane recovery process began on Tuesday (3/29) and is expected to take several days.

“This was an extremely technical dive and as Sheriff I am grateful for the work these men did today – not only for the families who lost their loved ones, but for our community as a whole,” said Clatsop County Sheriff Tom Bergin.

The Federal Aviation Administration first reported McKibbin’s plane as missing around 8:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 23. The plane took off from Pearson Field in Vancouver.

Officials said McKibbin was flying Mustain to the coast so that she could spread her husband’s ashes. The cause of the crash is unknown at this time.

An experienced pilot and well-known member of the business community, McKibbin took the leadership position at Identity Clark County in 2014. Prior to that, he served three terms as a county commissioner and two terms in the Washington state House of Representatives. He also served as president and CEO of the Greater Vancouver Chamber of Commerce (GVCC) for three years, beginning in 2003.

Active in the community, McKibbin was a staunch supporter of the Pearson Field Education Center, Leadership Clark County and several other organizations.

A candlelight vigil was held outside of McKibbin’s Pearson Field hangar (101 E Reserve Street in Vancouver) on Saturday (3-26).

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