Plane loses its propeller

An experimental biplane lost its propeller and crash-landed near Black Rock Golf Course, about 15 miles south of Coeur d’Alene, on Saturday morning.

A woman who was driving a Jeep told authorities that she saw the propeller coming toward her and swerved to avoid it.

The propeller bounced off the road and hit her vehicle, damaging it, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Department said in a press release.

The pilot, Jim Higgins, 66, of Cheney, had been flying at 3,200 feet and 105 mph. After losing the propeller, he was able to land in vacant lots near the golf course, suffering only a small cut on his nose.

His passenger, Joseph Tsarbs, 48, of Spokane, was unhurt.

The biplane sustained serious structural damage.