Kenneth A. Berger, 60, killed in small plane crash on Banks Lake in Grant County on May 24.

The Grant County sheriff's office says a float plane pilot died Saturday evening when he crashed on Banks Lake near Steamboat Rock State Park. KPQ radio reports 60-year-old Kenneth A. Berger of Monroe, Washington, was attempting to take off from Banks Lake around 5 p.m. Witnesses say the plane went nose-down in the water and sank. Nearby boaters dove into the lake, released Berger's seatbelt and brought him to a waiting ambulance on shore. He was pronounced dead a short time later. An investigation into the cause of the crash will continue Sunday. The Grant County coroner has scheduled an autopsy and the FAA is investigating.

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