Officials: Pilot was sole victim in plane crash near Madras

Update: Sunday, Aug. 20 11:30 a.m.

An investigation into the fatal plane crash near Madras Municipal Airport revealed the pilot was the only person on board.

A reservation tied to the plane indicated a pilot and one passenger were on board at the time of the crash, said Lisa Goodman, a spokesperson with the Central Joint Information Center.

Jefferson County Sheriff's Office officials spoke with family members who said originally two of them planned to take the trip to Madras. Then one decided not to go, and later both canceled, leaving the pilot alone on the flight.

"The sheriff's office is now certain there was only one person on board," Goodman said.

The investigation is ongoing.

Original story:

A plane crashed roughly one mile south of the Madras Municipal Airport, killing both individuals on board and igniting a brush fire, according to officials.

The plane crashed in Willow Creek Canyon near Bear Drive on Saturday just before 2 p.m., according to the Jefferson County Sheriff's Office.

A local farmer was on scene and fighting a fire on the plane when emergency responders arrived, according to Julianne Repman, a spokesperson for the Central Oregon Joint Information Center.

The fire was extinguished and officials said it was no longer a threat to the area.

Officials confirmed the pilot and one passenger died in the crash.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board have been notified of the crash. The Jefferson County Sheriff's Office is maintaining control of the scene at this time.

Repman could not confirm what type of plane crashed, but said it was one of hundreds of planes that flew into the region for the total solar eclipse.

Some 400 planes were planning to land at Madras Airport for the event, according to Lysa Vattimo, the lead eclipse planner for Madras. The airport usually does not have a control tower, but a mobile one was brought in for the eclipse.

Officials say they did not know the travel plans or direction of the plane.

Read more: Saturday Oregon solar eclipse updates on traffic, crowds and events

A year ago, the pilot of a vintage biplane died at Madras airport while he was performing a low altitude loop as part of the Airshow of the Cascades. Pilot Marcus Bruce Paine, 61, crashed his Boeing Stearman on Aug. 27.

This year's airshow is Aug. 25 and 26.

This story is developing and will be updated with details as information becomes available.