PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — A Lake Oswego father and three children were among those killed in a plane crash in Idaho over the weekend.
Sean Fredrickson, his son Hayden, and two stepchildren Sofie Olsen and Quinn Olsen died when two planes collided over Lake Coeur d’Alene in Idaho on Sunday. Local authorities reported that at least eight people, in total, were killed in the crash.
Sofie and Quinn’s father, Brian Olsen, said that his daughter “is a golden spirit” and his son “looked up to his big sister…” Sofie was learning to drive and was going to be a junior at Lake Oswego High School in the fall. 11-year-old Quinn was on his way to Junior High. Olsen also spoke of his children’s step-brother, 16-year-old Hayden. He described Hayden as smart, straight as an arrow, and a great role model for both Sofie and Quinn.
Olsen shared the following statement on the sudden passing of his two children:
“I am deeply sad learning that my two children, Sofie and Quinn Olsen have been taken from us to early in life. Their deaths are devastating. The extended family will all be deeply missed and April (Mom) and I appreciate the kind thoughts from everyone. Thank you. Sofie is a golden spirit and kept me striving to be better parent. The desire to impress her kept me motivated in life. Her enthusiasm is a wonderful way to go about day to day life. We all appreciated Sofie’s skills on the lacrosse field as she competed as part of the Lake Oswego High School team. She looked forward to going back this Fall to 11th grade. Quinn (Q) looked up to his big sister and loved to be included in many memorable sports and experiences. We enjoyed attending Portland Trailblazer games together and playing XBOX video games and recently started riding bikes again together. He just got a Specialized Rockhopper mountain bike for his 11th birthday in June. We embraced the time spent together on family holidays and recently during COVID-19 shelter in place. My children constantly remind me of all the experiences to cherish in our World this day and everyday. Great times and the tragic. With love to our kiddos. Miss you.”
Fredrickson was the Head Golf Pro at Oswego Lake Country Club. Since hearing the tragic news, members of the club have set up a memorial for him and the three children. The General Manager of the club, Bryan Fisher, said in a statement the loss was devastating.
“The loss of Sean Fredrickson and his children Hayden, Sofie and Quinn is devastating. Sean was an exceptional Golf Professional who was awarded the PGA Professional of the Year honor in 2019 by the Pacific Northwest Section PGA. Oswego Lake Country Club was honored to have him as a member of our family. His positive spirit and joy for the game of golf was contagious.
But more importantly, Sean was a tremendous husband, father and friend. Our love and heartfelt sympathy goes to his wife April, his family and friends during this time of loss.”
Of the two planes involved in the fatal crash, one aircraft was a floatplane operated by Brooks Seaplane of Coeur d’Alene, Idaho, which operates charter flights for tourists over Lake Coeur d’ Alene, the sheriff’s office said. That plane was carrying five passengers, including three children, and a pilot, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office said Monday.
The second airplane was a Cessna 206 that was carrying at least two people, the sheriff’s office said. It was registered in Lewiston, Idaho, but it had departed from Felts Field in nearby Spokane, Washington, Higgins said.
A sheriff’s dive team found the wreckage in about 125 feet (40 meters) of water, and the bodies of three victims have been recovered so far, the sheriff’s office said.
“We don’t anticipate any survivors,” sheriff’s Lt. Ryan Higgins said. “We think everyone is deceased.”
Investigators from the National Transportation Safety Board are headed to the scene and will conduct the investigation into what happened, the sheriff’s office said.
The planes collided in the air near Powderhorn Bay about 2:30 p.m. Sunday and plunged into the water, Higgins said.
The large and popular lake, which is surrounded by vacation homes, was busy with boaters on the Fourth of July weekend. Numerous personal boats went to the scene immediately in search of survivors. The sheriff’s marine teams, fire departments and the U.S. Coast Guard also responded.
The first two bodies were recovered on the surface by recreational boaters and turned over to the Coast Guard, Higgins said.
The three recovered bodies had not been identified, Higgins said.
Witnesses told news outlets they saw the two airplanes flying towards each other and colliding in mid-air, then plunging a few hundred feet into the lake. “You could just see debris falling with it and can tell it was obviously an airplane in the sky,” witness Angie Bishop told KREM-TV.
The sheriff’s dive team cannot operate at the depth of the bottom of the lake, so a small remote-controlled robot submarine was sent down late Sunday and recovered the third victim, Higgins said. The bodies of two additional victims have been located at the lake bottom, but not yet recovered, Higgins said. The search continued for the other three victims, he said.
“Diving at that depth is very dangerous,” Higgins said.
The air space over the lake did not appear to be any more crowded than usual on Sunday, he said.
“We don’t have any clue what happened,” Higgins said, other than the planes collided.
