Friday Harbor, WA Plane Crashes On Landing, Apr. 1976

SEVEN KILLED IN PLANE CRASH.

Friday Harbor, Wash. (UPI) -- Seven persons were killed Thursday when a light plane crashed and burned on a hillside while making a landing approach in rain and fog.
The victims aboard the Cessna 207 included the pilot, ROBERT RICK, 35, Mount Vernon, and six of 13 persons employed by the Kirtley-Cole Construction Company.
"We were a close-knit company and they were all super people," RAY KIRTLEY of Kirtley-Cole Construction Co. said.
"We worked seven month on the San Juan County Medical Center," KIRTLEY said. "Today and tomorrow would have been their last days on the job. They were just putting on finishing touches." The center cost $400,000.
The dead included KIRTLEY'S brother-in-law, JOEL BURKE, 32 of Lake Stevens and HOWARD COLE, 54, Everett, son of GORDON COLE, co-owner with KIRTLEY of the company.
Others killed in the crash were BILL RIDDLE, 36, Lynnwood; REMCO RUITER, 30, Marysville; BRUCE DeGROOT, 22, Marysville and CHRIST CABOT, 25, Arlington.
The plane was on a flight from Burlington in Skagit County when it crashed. RICHARD BERVIN, a witness, told the sheriff's office the plane appeared to have approached the airport too low because of the fog.

Daily Review Hayward California 1976-04-09

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Researched and Transcribed by Stu Beitler. Thank you, Stu!