Montana, Aug 12 — What could have been a devastating tragedy at Montana’s Kalispell City Airport turned into a story of survival on Monday afternoon when a small single-engine plane carrying four people crashed into a parked aircraft, triggering a massive fire — yet leaving everyone alive.
The incident unfolded around 2:00 p.m. local time. According to early findings from the Kalispell Police Department and the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the pilot appeared to lose control while attempting to land.
Witnesses say the plane skidded along the runway before slamming into multiple parked aircraft. The impact sparked a fast-moving blaze that engulfed the tarmac and even crept into a nearby grassy area.
Within seconds, thick black smoke curled into the summer sky. The quiet hum of the small regional airport was shattered by what sounded like an explosion.
“It sounded as if you were to stick your head in a bass drum and somebody smacked it as hard as they could,” recalled Ron Danielson, who runs a nearby inn and watched the scene unfold.
Incredibly, all four passengers managed to escape the burning aircraft on their own. Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio reported that two people suffered only minor injuries and were treated on-site.
Several parked planes were damaged in the fire, but firefighters worked swiftly to contain the flames before they could spread further. Authorities from both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are now piecing together exactly what went wrong.
The ill-fated flight had taken off from Pullman, Washington, earlier that day. While the cause of the loss of control is still under investigation, the incident has left many in the community both shaken and grateful.
As of now, Kalispell City Airport has reopened for limited operations while crews continue assessing the full extent of the damage.
