The main runway at Billings Logan International Airport was closed for 45 minutes after a single-engine aircraft had landing gear trouble and crashed on the runway.
No one was injured in the incident that occurred at about noon Friday, said Airport Operations Manager Shane Ketterling.
Two commercial flights bound for Billings — Delta flight 4669 and United Airlines flight 465 — were diverted toward Bozeman.
The airlines rerouted the flights because it was initially unclear how fast crews could clear the runway, Ketterling said.
According to the United website, the flight was able to return toward Billings without landing in Bozeman.
The Delta flight, according to the Delta website, landed in Bozeman before taking off and heading toward Billings.
The small airplane, a Navion Rangemaster, was headed to Billings from Belgrade, Ketterling said.
The pilot and plane’s owner had communicated to the control tower that his front landing gear might not be locked properly in place, but said he believed he could land the plane.
When the plane hit the ground, it sustained damage to the propeller and engine, but the male pilot and his female passenger were uninjured.
A small amount of fuel leaked onto the runway, but crews were able to get the fuel and the plane off the runway quickly, he said.
The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and will conduct an investigation, he said.
Original article can be found here: http://billingsgazette.com
BILLINGS -
A scary situation was averted at Billings Logan International Airport on Friday afternoon when a small private plane landed and had its landing gear fail.
The front landing gear collapsed shortly after touchdown, according to the airport operations center.
Neither of the two occupants were injured, but the mishap shut down the runway for 45 minutes.
The landing gear failure diverted two flights bound for Billings.
A United flight en route from Denver was sent to Bozeman, and a Skywest flight from Salt Lake was also diverted to Bozeman temporarily.
Both flights arrived by in Billings around 2 p.m., Bozeman airport director Brian Springer said.
Story and photo: http://www.krtv.com
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