Four people miraculously survived when their small plane crash-landed at a Montana airport, hitting several parked planes — triggering a massive fire that sent huge plumes of smoke billowing into the sky.
The wild scenes unfolded around 2 p.m. Monday when the pilot of the single-engine plane lost control while trying to land at the Kalispell City Airport.
The Socata TBM 700 turboprop jet crashed onto the runway and then collided with several other parked aircraft — causing multiple planes to burst into flames, Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen said.
Video from the scene showed the fire engulfing a grassy area before it could be extinguished.
Thick black smoke also blanketed the small, city-owned airport in the aftermath.
The three passengers on the crashed plane somehow managed to escape on their own when it finally came to a stop, Hagen said.
Two of the passengers suffered minor injuries and were treated at the airport.
“It sounded like if you were to stick your head in a bass drum and somebody smacked it as hard as they could,” witness Ron Danielson said.
The flight was en route from Pullman, Washington when the fiery saga unfolded.
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