Pilot crash lands plane near St. Ignatius
<p>Trip Burns/Lake County Leader A small single prop airplane rests on a fence parallel to St. Mary's Lake road in St. Ignatius on Monday morning. The pilot was uninjured and walked away from the crash, which is under investigation.</p>
A small, single-engine private plane crashed in a field near St. Mary Lake Road and Repass Trail in St. Ignatius at about 9:30 a.m. Monday.
The pilot walked away from the crash uninjured, Don Bell, Lake County Sheriff, said.
The pilot told emergency responders he was forced to land the plane because his fuel pump failed. He landed on Repass Trail. Bell said the pilot might have remained uninjured during the crash because he landed on a tree, which slowed his fall to the ground.
After emergency responders left the scene the owner of the property arrived to see the damage and the wreckage of the plane.
“I’m just glad you are up walking around,” he told the pilot.
Officials on the scene said the crash is under investigation and would not comment further. This is the fourth small aircraft to crash in Lake County since December 2014.