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

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.

KALISPELL, Mont. — 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.