PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — An Oregon pilot who died in a plane crash in Washington was a passionate advocate for pilots and airports and played a significant role in Oregon aviation, according to the Oregon Department of Aviation.
Mary Rosenblum, of Canby, was flying a Piper Super Cub plane Sunday when she hit trees around 1 p.m. and crashed near Battle Ground, Washington, the Clark County Sheriff’s Office said.
Rosenblum was the only person found in the damaged plane and died at the scene near Daybreak Field.
She was 65.
Most Read Nation & World Stories
Rosenblum was an award-winning author who wrote nine novels over her career, including The Drylands, which won the Compton Crook Award for science fiction writing in 1994. She wrote mysteries under the name Mary Freeman.
Cat Rambo, president of the Science Fiction & Fantasy Writers of America, said Rosenblum was a “one of the vital components of our Pacific Northwest writing community.
Rosenblum and a friend in a separate aircraft had flown to other locations earlier in the day and meant to stop at Daybreak Field, according to the sheriff’s office.
Rosenblum’s friend did not see what caused the plane to crash.
The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the crash.
Rosenblum, who received her private pilot’s license in June 2010, was, at the time, one of the few female pilots in the state, The Oregonian/OregonLive reported .
“I started flying after my kids were out on their own — I was a single mom — and found I love flying into the back country most of all,” Rosenblum said in a February blog post for “Ladies Love Taildraggers.”
Nathan Rosenblum, Mary’s son, said the family declines comment.
___
Information from: The Oregonian/OregonLive, http://www.oregonlive.com