Plane crashes into parked aircraft while landing at Montana airport, sparking fire

Yahoo News - A small plane landing on Monday at a Montana airport crashed into parked aircraft, triggering a large fire but causing no serious injuries, authorities said.

The single-engine plane carrying four people was attempting to land at about 2 p.m. at the Kalispell City Airport, according to Kalispell Police Chief Jordan Venezio and the Federal Aviation Administration.

A preliminary investigation showed the pilot lost control, crashing onto the runway before the plane struck several parked aircraft, igniting fires on multiple planes, Kalispell police said. The fire spread to a grassy area before it was extinguished, Venezio said.

The small, city-owned airport is just south of Kalispell, a city of about 30,000 people in northwest Montana.

Witnesses said a plane crash-landed at the end of the runway and careened into another aircraft, Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen said.

The passengers were able to get out on their own after it came to a stop, Hagen said. Two were slightly hurt and treated at the airport, he said.

Ron Danielson manages a nearby inn and said he heard and saw the crash before plumes of dark smoke filled the area.

“It sounded like if you were to stick your head in a bass drum and somebody smacked it as hard as they could,” he said.

The flight originated in Pullman, Washington, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.

The plane was identified by the FAA as a Socata TBM 700 turboprop. It was built in 2011 and owned by Meter Sky LLC of Pullman, FAA records show. Company representatives did not immediately respond to a telephone message seeking comment.

Aviation safety consultant Jeff Guzzetti, who used to investigate crashes for both the FAA and NTSB, said incidents where planes crash into parked aircrafts happen a few times a year in general aviation.

In one high-profile incident in February, a Learjet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil veered off a runway in Scottsdale, Arizona, and crashed into a parked Gulfstream, killing one person. The NTSB said that crash may have been related to prior damage to the landing gear, but investigators haven’t determined the cause.

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.

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.

A pilot and three passengers walked away from a plane crash in Kalispell, Montana that resulted in a fiery scene on Aug. 11, 2025.

A small plane crash landed in Montana, hitting into multiple aircraft as it careened off the runway, according to the FAA.