Document text
A local pilot has survived a night in the woods following Jackson County’s second aircraft crash in a week. Steven Dawson Jr., 34, of Central Point, was found hypothermic and injured Tuesday morning near Prospect after crashing what Jackson County Sheriff’s Deputy Noah Strohmeyer described as a “small experimental aircraft.” Dawson was the only person aboard the aircraft, which was found about 17 hours after he’d departed from the Prospect airport. “The crash victim was able to signal to the pilot,” Strohmeyer said. A helicopter pilot with Brim Aviation spotted Dawson at the wreckage at about 10 a.m. Tuesday, Strohmeyer said. The site was roughly 2-1/2 miles southwest from the airport. Jackson County Search and Rescue found Dawson suffering from hypothermia and a leg injury apparently caused by the crash. He was taken to Asante Rogue Regional Medical Center in Medford, where he is listed in good condition, said Asante spokeswoman Lauren Van Sickle. More information was not immediately available about the aircraft involved. In an email, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Allen Kenitzer said the aircraft was “of unknown type and registration” and that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are just beginning to investigate the crash. An NTSB spokesman also was unable to provide further detail as of Tuesday evening. The overnight search for Dawson started after an airport manager called 911 at 6 p.m. Monday because Dawson was overdue to return, according to Strohmeyer. Assisting Jackson County Search and Rescue were partner agencies through the California-Oregon Regional Search and Rescue task force, which drew volunteers from Josephine, Klamath and Siskiyou counties. Fog made air searches a challenge overnight and in the early morning hours, according to Strohmeyer. The aircraft crash is Jackson County’s second in less than a week. On Jan. 23, a Bell 206 helicopter owned by Erickson Air Crane crashed near Ashland, killing Timothy Bruce Lyons, 69 of Port Bolivar, Texas. The FAA and NTSB are still investigating circumstances behind the helicopter crash. Another Erickson Air Crane crashed in a reservoir four days later while fighting a wildfire in Australia, but all three aboard survived. Reach reporter Nick Morgan at 541-776-4471 or [email protected] . Follow him on Twitter @MTCrimeBeat .