Two Men Killed In Plane Crash

SHAW ISLAND - Two men were killed when a twin-engine Beechcraft Baron airplane, registered to a Bellingham man, crashed moments after taking off from a small, unlighted airfield on Shaw Island in the San Juan Islands shortly before 9 p.m. yesterday.

Killed in the crash of the BE-58 plane were Edward C. Darling, 38, of Bellingham, the plane's registered owner, and C. Larry Cornelius, 39, of Anaheim, Calif., the San Juan County sheriff's office reported.

The plane crashed several hundred feet beyond the south end of the short, paved single runway, said Shaw Island Fire Chief Tim Nelson.

Authorities said they believe both men were weekend residents of Shaw Island.

The plane apparently suffered mechanical failure and crashed at a fairly steep angle, Nelson said.

No flight plan had been filed. Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were expected on the scene today.

The plane went down in clear weather, and there were no reports of unusually strong winds.