Newberg police identify pilot instructor, student pilot killed in plane crash

A 22-year-old pilot instructor and a 20-year-old student pilot died after their small airplane crashed into a house in Newberg, Oregon, on Tuesday evening, seriously injuring their 20-year-old passenger, officials said.

Newberg-Dundee police on Wednesday identified the victims as Hillsboro, Oregon, residents Michele Cavallotti, a Hillsboro Aero Academy instructor, and student pilot Barrett Bevacqua. The passenger, Emily Hurd of Hillsboro, was flown to a Portland hospital with serious injuries, police said. According to a post on Facebook by Jenny Hurd, Emily Hurd’s mother, Emily Hurd underwent surgery on her injuries.

It is unclear who was flying the plane.

Representatives for the Hillsboro Aero Academy did not immediately respond Wednesday to inquiries from The Oregonian/OregonLive.

Witnesses in the city about 20 miles southwest of Portland reported seeing a plane “spiraling toward the ground and crashing near North Cedar Street,” according to Tualatin Valley Fire & Rescue. The plane smashed through the roof of a residence, breaking apart and falling into the house and backyard.

Firefighters arrived on the scene and determined Cavallotti and Bevacqua were dead.

People were inside the house when the plane struck but managed to evacuate without injury. No one on the ground was injured by the plane crash.

Officials said the Newberg-Dundee Police Department, the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the cause of the crash.