Pam Bird among victims of Bonner County plane crash

SANDPOINT (AP) — Three people have died in the crash of a small airplane near the town of Hope.

The Bonner County Sheriff's Office says the three people on the airplane were believed to be Pamela Bird, widow of renowned inventor Forrest Bird, plus Donald and Tookie Hensley, of Mohave Valley, Arizona. The sheriff's office says the victims have not yet been positively identified.

Officials say the Cessna 182 crashed in the Cabinet Mountains near Lake Pend Oreille on Thursday morning. The wreckage was found on Thursday afternoon.

The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating.

Officials say the flight originated from the Bird Aviation Museum and Invention Center in Sagle, Idaho, which has its own airstrip, and was headed to Boise, Idaho.

Forrest Bird died in August.