Video: Father and son killed in floatplane crash

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SHELTON, Wash. - Two people are dead after their floatplane took off from a lake Thursday afternoon and crashed nearby.

Family members say Burien businessman Mark Storer, 51, and his son Brian, 24, were killed when their plane crashed 10 miles west of Shelton in Mason County.

Witnesses say it appeared the plane was struggling to get up after taking off from Nahwatzel Lake. It disappeared over some trees, then crashed and exploded into flames.

"I heard the motor of the plane, him going back and forth on the lake trying to get off and he couldn't get off. And finally, by the sound of the motor, it was like he finally got off and then I didn't hear nothing," said one witness.

Video from the scene shows the burning wreckage inside a thick group of trees. The trees caught fire and flames were spreading. Medic units had difficulty getting to the wreckage because of the flames.

A private helicopter started dropping water on the 3-acre fire as two bulldozers cleared trees near the crash site.

KING

Brian Storer and his father Mark Storer

In SeaTac, Aaron and Debbie Street were stunned by the sudden, tragic news that their neighbor and friends were lost when the plane went down.

Mark Storer leaves behind his wife Lynette, a son and a daughter.

His son Brian, who also died in the crash, was married with two young sons.

Mark Storer operated two of the area's busiest tow companies, Burien and Airport Towing.