Prosser flight instructor survives crash. It wasn’t his first

A veteran Prosser pilot thought Wednesday’s flight over the Yakima River might be his last.

Bill Nelson, 66, was flying a powered parachute when he dipped too low and his wheels hit the water, causing him to sink into the river.

He was flying above power lines over the Yakima River and then dipped down too low, he told the Herald.

The seasoned flight instructor fought to get his seat belt unbuckled and untangle himself from the radio lines in the seconds after the crash.

“I was scared to death,” he said.

Once he freed himself, he stood up on the side of the experimental aircraft.

Kathy Easterly, a neighbor, heard him crash and called for help.

When she first ran outside she saw the disappearing parachute, but not Nelson. As she watched, he rose out of the water.

The river is relatively shallow at that point.

West Benton Fire Rescue and Benton Fire District 2 rushed to the scene and used Easterly’s boat to reach Nelson quickly.

This was Nelson’s second crash in 10 months. In October, he was flying with a student near Mabton when his powered parachute tangled in power lines.

Nelson is a former minister and retired respiratory therapist who’s been flying powered parachutes for years.

In 2015, he shared his love of the aircraft with the Herald.

“It’s the easiest thing to fly. It’s the safest thing to fly,” he said at the time.

He also talked of his love for teaching others to take to the skies.

“It’s really cool to see someone flying one of these and be up there with them,” Nelson said.

This story was originally published August 29, 2018 at 9:23 AM.