A single-engine Socata TBM 700 carrying a pilot and three passengers lost control while landing at Kalispell City Airport in Montana around 2 p.m. on 11/8. The plane collided with another small aircraft parked on the runway.
The impact ignited a large fire, engulfing both planes. The flames spread to the grass adjacent to the runway before being extinguished.
Kalispell Police Chief Jay Hagen reported that all passengers and the pilot of the Socata TBM 700 escaped before the fire erupted. Two individuals sustained minor injuries and received treatment at the airport. The parked plane was unoccupied.
Ron Danielson, the manager of a nearby inn, said he heard the collision before seeing plumes of black smoke. Another witness described the plane "touching down and bouncing" prior to the crash.
According to the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB), the Socata TBM 700 originated from Pullman, Washington. Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) records indicate the aircraft was manufactured in 2011.
In a serious accident last February, singer Vince Neil's Learjet veered off the runway in Arizona and struck a parked Gulfstream, resulting in one fatality. The NTSB suggested that landing gear failure may have contributed to the incident.
Huyen Le (Fox News, NBC News)
