Video captures plane crashing into parked aircraft at Montana airport
Officials in Kalispell, a town about three hours north of Helena, said authorities responded to the scene of a plane crash at Kalispell City Airport around 2:08 p.m. on Aug. 11.
The pilot of the jet, a Socata TBM 700, which had four people aboard, lost control of the aircraft and crashed onto the runway, striking several parked airplanes and igniting fires on numerous aircraft.
The four jet occupants, who are from out of state, managed to exit the plane with minor injuries and were treated at the scene. One of the planes struck by the jet was an unoccupied Swearingen SX-300. No additional injuries have been reported, authorities said.
'Police officers and fire crews acted quickly to contain and extinguish the blaze, preventing further damage,' Kalispell City Government said in a written statement.
Watch plane crash into parked aircraft at Montana airport
The Kalispell police and fire departments both responded to the incident. The Federal Aviation Administration is leading an investigation into the crash.
Footage of the incident showed large clouds of smoke and flames billowing from the airport after the plane hit the tarmac. The airport primarily doesn't handle scheduled commercial flights and is located close to Glacier National Park, a wilderness area in Montana's Rocky Mountains.
Montana U.S. Rep. Ryan Zinke wrote in an X post on Aug. 11: "My staff is on site at the plane crash at the Kalispell City Airport. From what we understand, no one was injured, praise God.
"We will be assisting local authorities and the airport in any way we can as they handle this unfortunate accident," the post continued.
The city's website states the airport is one of the busiest in Montana because of its proximity to recreation facilities.
Michelle Del Rey is a trending news reporter at USA TODAY. You can reach her at mdelrey@usatoday.com
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