KALISPELL, Mont. \u2014 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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The small, city-owned airport is just south of Kalispell, a city of about 30,000 people in northwest Montana.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Witnesses said a plane crash-landed at the end of the runway and careened into another aircraft, Kalispell Fire Chief Jay Hagen said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Ron Danielson manages a nearby inn and said he heard and saw the crash before plumes of dark smoke filled the area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cIt sounded like if you were to stick your head in a bass drum and somebody smacked it as hard as they could,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The flight originated in Pullman, Washington, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
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.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In one high-profile incident in February, a Learjet owned by Motley Crue singer Vince Neil veered off a runway<\/a> in Scottsdale, Arizona, and crashed into a parked Gulfstream, killing one person. The NTSB said<\/a> that crash may have been related to prior damage to the landing gear, but investigators haven\u2019t determined the cause.<\/p>\n\n\n\n