Plane loses power, crashes in Kootenai County

One man was sent to a hospital with minor injuries and another walked away from the crash of a small airplane in Kootenai County.

Tyler Drechsel, fire inspector for the Northern Lakes Fire District, said the pilot was practicing touch-and-go landings about 7 p.m. Monday when the 1972 twin-engine Beech Baron apparently lost power over the Kootenai Electric office near Coeur d’Alene Airport/Pappy Boyington Field.

It crashed into a pickup and a Sno-Cat vehicle parked at the power company, Drechsel said.

The pickup, which was in a Kootenai Electric parking area, was pinned between the plane and the work building.

“There’s a large amount of fuel that was spilled on the scene,” said Drechsel. Firefighters sprayed the area with foam that “mitigated the hazard pretty quick.”

Both vehicles are owned by Kootenai Electric.

The names of the pilot and his passenger were not released Monday. According to a national aircraft database, the plane is registered to Hamid A. Wasti, of Coeur d’Alene.

The plane had visible damage to the underside and left wing.

The man taken to the hospital had what Drechsel described as minor injuries. “The other one was able to walk on his own,” Drechsel said.

The problem occurred while the plane was ascending after touching down on the runway, less than a mile from the electric company facility.

“It’s a fluke,” Drechsel said. “Whenever you have an airport in the area, there’s always a risk. In our area, it’s very rare to have things like this.”

The FAA is investigating.