Pilot survives airplane crash on Lookout Pass
Truck driver Christopher Allen took a photo through his windshield of the small experimental airplane that crashed on Lookout Pass on May 22. The pilot walked away with only minor injuries. (Courtesy of Christopher Allen)
A small experimental airplane crashed on Interstate 90 on Tuesday, May 22, around 2 p.m. on Lookout Pass near the Idaho/Montana border. The pilot appeared to be OK and walked away from the accident. However, he was taken to Mineral Community Hospital with back pain and some bruising.
According to eye witness, Tim Halbert, the pilot was heading west and got caught in a downdraft and his engine quit. He then glided for a time before searching for a place to land. Eventually crashing onto the eastbound lane of the highway five miles east of the Idaho border. A small fire also broke out but was quickly extinguished.
Mineral County Sheriff’s and Montana Highway Patrol responded to the incident where the eastbound lanes of the highway were closed until around 6 p.m. Big Sky Towing took the wrecked plane to their shop located in between Haugan and De Borgia where a federal investigator will look into the crash. No vehicles were involved in the incident and no other injuries were reported.
Federal Aviation records show that the glider was registered in March to a man from Redmond, Wash. However, the name of the pilot has not been released.