Pilot walks from ultralight crash

A Spokane Valley pilot walked away uninjured Wednesday night after his ultralight plane crash-landed in northern Spokane County.

Thomas A. Hay, 75, attempted to make an emergency landing on Bruce Road near Day-Mount Spokane Road about 6:20 p.m. after the engine of his small aircraft quit, said Cpl. Dave Reagan, Spokane County Sheriff’s Office spokesman.

“He could see there were no cars on Bruce, and was trying to land there,” Reagan said.

The tires of the plane clipped a guardrail alongside the pavement, and the plane crashed into a dirt bank.

Hay walked away from the plane – which sustained extensive damage – and hitched a ride to the Mead airport, Reagan said.

“Our deputies found him there,” Reagan said.

Hay, who was back at the crash site late Wednesday night loading his damaged aircraft into the back of two pickups, declined to comment specifically about the crash.

“I just lost power coming into the valley is all,” he said.

The Federal Aviation Administration does not investigate ultralight crashes, Reagan said. The FAA also does not require ultralight operators to earn pilot’s licenses.