Wednesday, July 27, 2011

2 accidents in 2 days at Friedman

Small aircraft endure rough landings

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By KATHERINE WUTZ
Express Staff Writer

A single-engine homebuilt aircraft is pulled from the runway at Friedman Memorial Airport on Friday. Airport Manager Rick Baird said the plane spun in a circle before the landing gear collapsed, dropping one wing to the ground. Photo by David N. Seelig

In separate incidents, two small planes crashed at Friedman Memorial Airport last week, neither of which resulted in injuries despite damage to the aircraft.

A small, kit-built plane crashed on the runway at the airport Friday, injuring none and doing only minor damage to the plane.

Airport Manager Rick Baird said the pilot reported "directional problems" on landing at 12:25 p.m. The plane then spun in a circle before the landing gear collapsed, dropping a wing to the tarmac and causing the propeller to strike the ground.

Neither the pilot nor the sole passenger was injured. Baird said the plane sustained damage to its landing gear, propeller and wing, but will likely fly again. The plane was towed off the runway and the area reopened within 45 minutes.

The week's second incident occurred when a single-engine propeller plane encountered problems on takeoff Saturday morning. Baird said the plane left the runway at 8:35 a.m. and rose to 150 feet in altitude before the pilot reported a power problem.

"It made it back to the runway, but not gently," Baird said.

The plane slid off the runway and hit several lights and signs before coming to a stop just inside the safety area, Baird said. The pilot, the sole occupant, was uninjured.

Baird said the second plane needed to be removed by crane to avoid further damage to the craft. The airport was closed for about two hours, and one SkyWest flight from Salt Lake City was delayed 45 minutes due to the accident.

Katherine Wutz: kwutz@mtexpress.com

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