Plane crashes into parked aircraft at Montana airport

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KALISPELL, Mont. — A small plane landing on Monday at a Montana airport crashed into a parked aircraft, triggering a large fire but causing no serious injuries, authorities said.

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The single-engine plane carrying four people was attempting to land at about 2 p.m. at the Kalispell City Airport, according to Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio and the Federal Aviation Administration.

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The Socata TBM 700 turboprop aircraft struck an unoccupied plane on the ground, according to the FAA. A fire from the crash spread to a grassy area before it was extinguished, Venezio said, adding that several aircraft were involved.

The small, city-owned airport is just south of Kalispell, a city of about 30,000 people in northwest Montana.

Witnesses said a plane approached from the south, crash-landed at the end of the runway and careened into another aircraft, Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen said.

The plane that was attempting to land burst into flames but the pilot and three passengers were able to get out on their own after it came to a stop, Hagen said.

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Ron Danielson, who manages a nearby inn, said he heard and saw the crash before plumes of dark smoke filled the area.

“It sounded like if you were to stick your head in a bass drum and somebody smacked it as hard as they could,” he said.

Two passengers were slightly hurt and treated at the airport, Hagen said.

The plane was built in 2011 and owned by Meter Sky LLC of Pullman, Wash., FAA records show. Company representatives did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.

Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the FAA and NTSB, said incidents where planes crash into parked aircrafts happen a few times a year in general aviation.

In one high-profile incident in February, a Learjet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil veered off a runway in Scottsdale, Ariz., and crashed into a parked Gulfstream, killing one person. The NTSB said that crash may have been related to prior damage to the landing gear, but investigators haven’t determined the cause.

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