MUKILTEO — A twin-engine propeller plane came crashing to the ground shortly after taking off at Paine Field Saturday morning.
The plane’s pilot and passenger were not injured in the accident, Paine Field Fire Chief Jeff Bohnet said.
The aircraft, a Beechcraft Model 18, was about 100 feet off the ground when it lost power. It landed “hard on its belly and skidded about 200 yards,” he said.
Firefighters were at the crash site seconds later.
“One of my guys was washing breakfast dishes when he saw the plane started falling,” he said. “They were moving to the fire truck when it hit the ground.”
The crash happened at about 9:30 a.m.
The plane’s right propeller took a chunk out of the airport’s main runway, which had to be closed for repairs.
Boeing firefighters helped the Paine Field crew move the airplane off the runway, Bohnet said.
Paine Field’s maintenance crew had the runway reopened shortly after noon.
The cause of the accident is not clear, he said.
Paine Field Fire Department’s accident report will be sent to the National Transportation Safety Board, he said.
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