A small airplane crashed at the Polson Airport on Thursday morning after losing lift while returning from a flight to St. Ignatius.
Lake County Sheriff Don Bell said the pilot, who was the only occupant, was circling around the airport to land when he said his plane quit gliding.
The pilot did not want to crash into any buildings or hit Highway 93, according to Sheriff Bell. Instead, he chose to land on the north end of the airfield.
The plane hit a fence and lost two wheels. A wing was also damaged.
The pilot, a Polson resident, was not injured.
Bell said the Lake County Sheriff's Office responded and contacted the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board.
The FAA allowed Lake County emergency responders to move the plane in order to reopen the airport.
The FAA is also handling the investigation.
