No injuries after plane crashes near Marion Sunday

By SCOTT SHINDLEDECKER and JEREMY WEBER

No injuries were reported Sunday after a small single-engine plane clipped a power line and crashed into a stand of trees near Round Mountain Loop in the Marion area west of Kalispell.

According to Flathead County Sheriff Brian Heino, an N20F Mooney Single Engine Passenger Plane struggled to ascend during takeoff from the nearby Cabin Creek Landing Strip, struck a powerline and crashed at approximately 11:20 a.m.

Marion Fire Department Chief Katie Mast said 911 calls began coming in shortly after the crash.

“We had some calls from several people who said they heard a boom and one or two who actually heard the crash,” Mast said. “The boom was probably the transformer on the power line blowing, so it’s lucky that several people heard that and alerted us.”

Along with the Marion Fire Department, Flathead County Search and Rescue, the ALERT helicopter and a representative from Glacier Park International Airport began a search and quickly found the uninjured pilot and passenger at the crash site not far from U.S. 2.

“They took out the power line and a few trees before spinning into a small pocket of trees, but both occupants were out of the plane and appeared uninjured when we arrived,” Mast said. “They were incredibly lucky. In fact, they were some of the calmest crash victims I have seen at any emergency scene I have ever been to, much less a plane crash.”

Neither occupant were identified, but Federal Aviation Administration records show the plane is registered to Erik J. Leland of Beaverton, Washington.

According to Mast, members of the Flathead County Sheriff’s Posse will remain on-scene until the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board arrive to conduct their investigation of the crash.