Divers find bodies of 2 Washington residents missing in plane crash near Astoria

ASTORIA, Ore. (AP) — Officials say dive teams have discovered the bodies of two Vancouver, Wash., residents who were missing after a plane crash in the Columbia River near Astoria. One of them was a former Washington state lawmaker.


The Columbian newspaper reports (http://goo.gl/2cac0F ) Clatsop County Search and Rescue divers found the bodies of John McKibbin and Irene Mustain among plane wreckage Friday afternoon.

McKibbin's body was recovered. Mustain's wasn't recovered due to the position of the fuselage and the damage it sustained. The sheriff's office says she will be recovered once proper equipment is available.

Former state representative McKibbin was last seen Wednesday afternoon when he and family friend Mustain took off in an antique plane from Vancouver to scatter the ashes of her deceased husband.

The U.S. Coast Guard soon after got reports of a small plane crashing in the Columbia River.