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Two injured after small plane crashes near tarmac in Montana creating large fireball

All four passengers on single-engine plane were able to walk away from crash and first responders treated two survivors for minor injuries

Josh Marcus in San Francisco
Fireball after small plane crashes in Montana, injuring two

A small plane carrying four people crashed into a parked aircraft on Monday afternoon while landing at a northwest Montana airport, setting fire to parts of the runway in the city of Kalispell.

All four passengers were able to walk away from the crash once the plane came to a halt, with two being treated for minor injuries at the scene, Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen told local reporters.

The plane crashed onto the runway around 2 p.m. and skid “like a Frisbee” into a parked plane then burst into flames, Hagen said.

The fire temporarily spread to a grassy part of the city-owned airport.

Agencies including Kalispell police and fire, and the Evergreen, Smith, and Whitefish fire departments all responded to the crash.

Plane carrying four hit runway ‘like a Frisbee’ and skid into parked plane, starting a fire, officials said
Plane carrying four hit runway ‘like a Frisbee’ and skid into parked plane, starting a fire, officials said (Scott Carpenter/TMX via REUTERS)

Officials have cordoned off part of the runway, and the Federal Aviation Administration plans to investigate the crash.

The plane involved was a single-engine, Socata TBM 700 turboprop, owned by Meter Sky LLC of Pullman, Washington, according to FAA records obtained by The Associated Press.

The Independent has contacted the company for comment.

Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti told the outlet such crashes between landing and parked aircraft occur a few times a year in general aviation.

Kalispell is a city of around 30,000 people, located about 33 miles southwest of Glacier National Park.

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