TORCHED

Landing Plane Crashes Into Other Aircraft in Airport Fireball

Four people were onboard the plane when it skidded into multiple parked aircraft and went up in flames.

A small plane carrying four people crashed into a parked aircraft as it attempted to land at an airport in Montana, sparking a large fire but miraculously avoiding any serious injuries, authorities said. The Socata TBM 700 craft was attempting to land at Kalispell City Airport when the pilot lost control, sending it skidding off the runway, and crashing into several different parked planes, setting them alight. Two of the four passengers on board the craft sustained minor injuries, Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen said, but were well enough to leave the craft on their own and were treated by medics at the scene. “It sounded like if you were to stick your head in a bass drum and somebody smacked it as hard as they could,” said eyewitness Ron Danielson, who watched the crash unfold. He said it was followed by large plumes of smoke which filled the area. Aviation expert Jeff Guzzetti, a former crash investigator, said planes crashing into parked aircraft is rare but not unheard of.