Cargo Pilot Survives Landing Sole Occupant Trapped Inside After Plane Crashes At Seatac

A small cargo plane crashed and burned Wednesday evening on landing at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, trapping the pilot inside when the cargo of documents shifted forward.

“He couldn’t get out of the plane,” airport Fire Chief Tom Barrett said.

Airport fire crews injected foam inside the plane, extinguishing the blaze quickly, then ripped off the cargo door and pulled out the pilot.

The 34-year-old man was taken to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, where he was listed in serious condition Wednesday night. A nursing supervisor said he suffered facial injuries and possible smoke inhalation.

The Portland-based pilot was the only person on board the Beech 1900 plane, owned by the Ameriflight cargo airline based in Burbank, Calif., an Ameriflight spokeswoman confirmed.

His name was withheld until his family could be notified.

The cause of the accident was not known. The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.

The plane was landing at 7:13 p.m. on one of the two main runways when it came down hard and “ground looped” - turning nearly 180 degrees so that its nose pointed toward the south-southwest edge of the runway, Barrett said.

Crews saw the plane on fire as they arrived but did not know when the fire started, he said, adding the plane’s landing gear had collapsed.

The plane was burning beneath both wings and inside when fire crews arrived, Barrett said. They used a special device to inject foam before rescuing the pilot.

The plane came to rest roughly in the middle of the 9,400-foot-long runway. A large hole was visible in the center of the fuselage.

The crash closed down SeaTac’s other main runway for only 10 minutes, Port of Seattle spokeswoman Rachel Garson said.

No significant flight delays were reported Wednesday night, Garson said.

The runway with the crashed plane was expected to be closed all night. Garson said she hoped it could be open in time for the 6 a.m. crush of departing planes.

Ameriflight operates more than 160 aircraft nationwide, specializing in transportation of small-package freight and financial documents.