PORT ANGELES — A small biplane that lost power Thursday afternoon and crashed in a back yard left the pilot unscathed.
James Lindsay, 75, of Port Angeles had just taken off from Fairchild International Airport to test a new engine shortly before the engine died midflight at about 1:30 p.m.
Without power, Lindsay clipped treetops and crashed in the back yard at 303 Tac-Dale Drive, about three-fourths of a mile from the edge of the airport property.
“It was the first time I crashed one,” the pilot with more than 30 years experience said as firefighters from Clallam County Fire District No. 2 disabled the plane’s electrical systems and tried to stop a fuel leak.
“It was a cute little biplane,” Lindsay said.
He said the estimated value of the 1985 Renegade experimental plane was around $20,000 and had been featured in Port Angeles’ 2004 Fourth of July parade.
Lindsay signed a release at the scene to decline medical attention.
