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The Spokesman-Review Newspaper
Spokane, Washington  Est. May 19, 1883

Two people hospitalized after small plane crashes near Palouse

A single-engine plane crash Wednesday morning near Palouse, Washington, sent both occupants to the hospital with what appeared to be non-life-threatening injuries.

Initial reports indicate the student pilot, accompanied by his flight instructor, attempted to land when the plane made a hard touchdown, causing the landing gear to malfunction, according to a Whitman County Sheriff’s Office news release. The plane flipped and came to rest on its top.

A sheriff’s office dispatcher said one passenger was taken to Gritman Medical Center in Moscow, Idaho, and the other was taken via Life Flight to an unknown hospital. Both passengers were men in their 50s, the dispatcher said.

The crash occurred at a private airstrip near Ringo Road just outside Palouse.

The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were notified of the crash and will conduct a joint investigation into the cause .