LEWISTON, Idaho — This story originally appeared in The Lewiston Tribune.
On a recent sunny Saturday, Kristen Blackburn agreed to take a scenic flight over the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley with her older brother.
She’s deathly afraid of flying and water, but the 47-year-old Lewiston mom was encouraged to go for it by her close-knit family.
It turned out to be a day they’d never forget, and probably the last time she crawls inside an airplane.
Her 51-year-old brother, Brandon Petersen, of Boise, had built an award-winning aircraft and is known as an excellent pilot. Everyone in the family had flown with him, but Kristen has always balked.
Last weekend, her two worst nightmares came true. A power line snagged the plane near Heller Bar, more than 20 miles south of Asotin, Washington, and suddenly Kristen and Brandon were plunged into the Snake River, struggling to survive.
Fortunately, this story has a happy ending, thanks to Clarkston jet boaters who rescued the siblings from the frigid water. They will be forever grateful for the kindness of strangers.
A BIRTHDAY TO REMEMBER
March 16 began with a special birthday breakfast for their mother, Sandy James, of Lewiston. She was delighted to see her children at Jeffrey’s restaurant in the Orchards. Brandon and his wife, Heather, had flown from Boise to surprise her.
After the meal, the family headed over to the private plane area of the Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport. Kristen and Brandon were all smiles as they departed for what was supposed to be a quick flight over the region.
Their father, Don James, 79, describes the vast array of emotions that day. Around 11:30 a.m., they were snapping photos and incredibly happy to be together for Sandy’s 79th birthday.
After Brandon and Kristen took off, the family waited at the auxiliary airport for their return. When 30 minutes had passed, they joked about how much fun the pair must be having. Kristen had finally gone up in a plane and was probably having a wonderful time.
However, the mood shifted as the clock kept ticking and the plane was nowhere in sight. After an hour had passed, the group began to worry. Heather contacted her son in Boise to track the plane, but there was no trace of it hovering above the Lewiston-Clarkston Valley.
“Now we’re starting to get nervous,” Don said. “We knew something must have gone wrong. We had been sitting there for more than two hours when Heather’s phone rang.”
The incoming call was from Portland, Oregon, and she didn’t recognize the number. Heather answered anyway, and the conversation instantly took on a serious and ominous tone.
Don and Sandy held their breath, fearing the worst, when Heather mouthed the words, “They’re OK.” It was the best words they’d ever heard.
Their daughter-in-law was talking to Life Flight responders who were whisking her husband to St. Joseph Regional Medical Center in Lewiston. Kristen was headed in the same direction in an ambulance.
When Heather hung up, she quickly filled in the blanks for the terrified parents sitting across from her. Brandon and Kristen had just survived a plane crash, almost drowned in the river, and were now being taken to the hospital.
“They were pretty banged up, but they were alive,” Don said.
The memory of that moment brings tears to his eyes. “Angels” in a jet boat had saved the lives of Brandon and Kristen.
'IT'S REMARKABLE AND A MIRACLE'
Justin and Lisa Montague, of Clarkston, were headed upriver for a family outing on the March morning. It was only the third time they’d navigated the Snake River with their new jet boat. Their two kids, Trevor, 14, and Kylee, 19, were aboard, along with their daughter’s boyfriend, Tyler Slaybaugh, of Pomeroy.
The water was running deep and fast as the family cruised along. After encountering a large wave, the boaters couldn’t believe what they saw, directly in front of them.
A man and woman were bobbing in the Snake River.
“Our first thought was, ‘Why are these people swimming in the river at this time of year?’” Lisa recalled.
Then they spotted a tire and the wingtip of a plane and put “two and two together,” Lisa said. The people in the water must have just been in a plane crash.
Justin deftly steered the boat between them, and the passengers began throwing ropes and flotation devices to the injured people. Lisa was able to grab Kristen, but the pilot was still in the river.
Brandon was floating face down and “basically dead” when Trevor and Tyler finally got a hold of him on the swim deck, Lisa said. The boat slowly motored about a half-mile before they could maneuver it to a beach.
Fortunately, Kylee is working as a certified nursing assistant at Garfield Memorial Hospital in Pomeroy and knows lifesaving skills.
“We were able to get Kristen in the boat, but we had to drag Brandon to shore because he was pretty banged up,” Lisa said.
Hells Canyon doesn’t have much cellphone service south of Asotin. Kylee used an SOS signal on her phone to seek assistance.
Once they reached land, the boaters sprang into action with the help of four people on a second boat. Tyler and Shandee Kempster, and Kyle and Kelli Williams assisted with the effort, according to Don, who wrote down the names of everyone who helped out.
“Every time I start to tell this story, I start to cry,” he said, wiping away tears. “All of these people are angels. It’s remarkable and a miracle Brandon and Kristen survived. The plane crashed between two rapids, right in the center of the river. If it had gone down on land, they’d be dead.”
THEY CLUNG TO THE WING, THEN IT SANK
The water temperature was about 41 degrees that day. Kristen is still having flashbacks to trying to get her straps undone and the plane door open so she could get above water and gasp a breath of air.
Once she sprang up, she spotted a wing of the plane and grabbed hold. She was scared her brother would not emerge from the murky depths, but soon his head appeared. They both clung to the wing before the plane sank.
Once submerged, they were caught in the current and were being swept downriver. When the jet boat appeared, Kristen remembers saying, “Please don’t let go of me,” as Lisa grabbed her.
Meanwhile, the boat was circling, and the driver was trying to get a better bead on Brandon. By this time, the injured pilot was not doing well, Don said. Tyler reached out and got a grip on him, along with Trevor. They gently cruised toward a shore, searching for a place to pull in.
Don said the boaters were able to pull Brandon on the rocks, but his sister’s knee injury caused her to collapse.
“When they got to the hospital, their body temperatures were 91 degrees,” he said. “It took them a long time to warm up.”
RESCUERS 'STILL IN SHOCK'
Kristen, covered in bruises, spent two days in the hospital and underwent surgery on her knee. Brandon had serious back injuries, a nasty gash to his head, and required surgery on his hand. He was released after four days. He and his wife went home to Boise on Thursday, Don said.
When asked how he was doing, Brandon quipped, “I feel like I was just in a plane crash.”
Don and Sandy said they’re impressed and grateful for the care their kids received at SJRMC.
Sandy said it is a birthday she will never forget. “Having my children alive is the best present I’ve ever received,” she said.
The entire Montague family went above and beyond, Don said. On Sunday, the rescuers visited the hospital with flowers, a plant and a card.
“When they walked in the room, and we realized they were the people who saved our children, it was very emotional,” Sandy said.
Justin and Lisa were also there when Brandon got released. “They didn’t have to do that, and it meant so much,” Sandy said.
“This whole thing is pretty crazy,” Lisa said Friday. “They would have drowned. We’re just still in shock. It’s very emotional, and not every day you can say you saved someone who crashed a plane into the river. We still can’t believe we did something like this.”
Kristen’s co-workers at Pacific Cataract and Laser Institute have set up an account at P1FCU to help with her medical expenses. Donations can be made in the name of her mom, Sandy James.
Sandaine can be reached at kerris@lmtribune.com.
This article originally appeared in The Lewiston Tribune, read more on lmtribune.com.
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