KALISPELL — One person died after a plane crash that happened on Tuesday afternoon at Ryan Field near West Glacier.
Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino tells MTN News that first responders arrived on scene to find a single prop airplane upside down in an embankment off the runway.
The FAA reports the crash occurred after the right wing of the aircraft clipped a tree on an attempted go-around.
The pilot was pronounced dead at the scene with nobody else aboard the aircraft.
The fatal crash comes just 2½ weeks after two people died at Ryan Field when their plane crashed shortly after takeoff.
Ryan Field is a privately owned turf airfield on property owned by the Recreational Aviation Foundation.
Sheriff Heino said flying in Northwest Montana’s mountainous landscape can present multiple challenges for pilots.
Before these two crashes, no fatal accidents had been reported at Ryan Field.
“Especially notifying families of a loved one’s death is never an easy thing, having two in this period of time has definitely been a shock to our resources and our community, so hopefully we can work together and come up with solutions to really advise and get information out there of just taking those extra steps and precautions,” said Sheriff Heino.
MTN News reached out to the Federal Aviation Administration for comment on the two crashes but has not received a response.
