HILLSBORO, Ore. (KOIN) — On July 16, 2006, a 1951 Hawker Hunter Jet crashed during the Oregon International Air show at the Hillsboro Airport.
The jet crashed into a house, killing the pilot. The house belonged to Donna Reynolds and although she has since rebuilt her home on the same property, she still occasionally finds scarps of the jet in her soil.
“It brings me right back to that day. I was very fortunate. My dog that was in the home was able to get out,” Reynolds said. “We’re not quite sure how, but she was covered in jet fuel and ash, but she got out and ran to her neighbors.”
Reynolds herself was at a garden show that day.
“I was saved by a garden show and in honor of that I’m going to a garden show tomorrow too,” Reynolds said.
Neighbor Carl Calkins, a self-professed treasure hunter, has gathered some elements of the jet and created memorabilia. He created a piece with bits a Reynold’s home and a model of her dog.
“I do this all the time, all around Washington County,” he said.
“When the plane hit the house, it just shattered everything like a slingshot,” Calkins said.
The Portland Tribune reported on a federal investigation into the crash, and many neighbors questioned whether the popular annual air show should end.