
A single-engine plane balances upside-down on its nose and wings after landing on grass beside the runway at the Twisp Municipal Airport Monday. The pilot and passenger were uninjured.
The pilot and a passenger were unhurt after a single-engine Cessna missed the runway while landing at the Twisp Municipal Airport Monday (April 3) and flipped upside-down.
The accident happened about 2:30 p.m. and was apparently caused by strong side winds, said Twisp Police Chief Paul Budrow.
Emergency responders from Okanogan Fire District 6 and Aero Methow Rescue Service came to the scene, but were not needed.
The plane, a four-seat Cessna 172, approached the runway heading toward Twisp. It missed the pavement and landed on grass along the right side of the runway. It appeared to have traveled some distance on the grass before overturning.
Budrow identified the pilot as Louise Bighouse, who is the Winthrop postmaster. She spoke by phone to the Federal Aviation Administration on the scene after the crash.
Bighouse was featured in a Methow Valley News column by Ashley Lodato last year after she received her pilot’s license.
She and the passenger were able to crawl out of the upside-down plane after the accident.
Budrow said Tuesday (April 4) there that was no ongoing investigation in connection with the accident. He was unable to provide the name of the passenger.