Article Taken From KFTY news online

Couple Killed In Mt. St. Helena Plane Crash Is Identified

Napa County sheriff's investigators believe the couple killed in a small plane crash on Mount St. Helena last week is from Berry Creek in Butte County. Sheriff's Capt. Mike Loughran reports that Rodney Kirby, 49, and Betty Kirby, 51, were flying their twin-engine Beech V95 plane from Oroville to Santa Rosa when it crashed less than one half-mile below the summit of the mountain. It is believed the plane crashed on Feb. 14 or 15, the sheriff's department reported. The recovery of the bodies on Saturday involved more than 40 personnel, including members of the Marin County sheriff's search and rescue team that is specially trained in technical rescue operations in mountainous terrain, Sgt. Steve Blower said. The team hiked and rappelled down the face of the mountain to get to the crash site. The extreme vertical terrain and dense vegetation made access difficult and thick fog and low cloud cover impaired visibility at the site to as little as 50 feet, Blower said. The rescue team also experienced rock falls during the operation and the plane's fuselage was held in place on a sheer cliff face by a rudder cable entangled around a tree, making extrication extremely difficult and dangerous, Blower said. The impact of the crash caused significant damage to the plane's occupants and the identification of the victims is based on indicia at the scene, Blowers said.

MCSO SAR Unit Mission Summary (mission 05-07)