2 survive Sierra plane crash

Sunday, Oct. 25, 1998 | 9:26 a.m.

Pilot Arthur Kasper, 53, and Patricia Tanner, 51, both of Walnut Creek, suffered only cuts and bruises when their Piper Cherokee went down shortly after takeoff from Reno-Tahoe International Airport.

The two were en route to their hometown when the plane crashed near Hunter Lake in the Carson Range, nine miles west of the airport.

Washoe County sheriff's Sgt. Bob Towery said the two were lucky to survive the 8 a.m. crash.

"The pilot said the plane hit the ground at about 60 miles per hour and it flipped over," Towery said. "It must have been an E-ticket ride. That's a hard landing."

Kasper helped his cause by notifying authorities of the crash and leading them to the downed plane with the help of a cellular phone.

He also assisted the search effort by placing an orange marker near the aircraft and by firing flares into the air.

It took a ground team about six hours to reach the couple just inside the Mount Rose Wilderness Area. The team was hampered by heavy snow and high winds.

But Towery said the weather broke just after searchers found the couple, allowing the two to be flown by helicopter to Washoe Medical Center in Reno.

A nursing supervisor said plans called for the two to be discharged after treatment for minor injuries and a mild case of hypothermia.

The cause of the crash is under investigation by federal authorities.