SEQUIM — A 48-year-old Shoreline man and his son escaped injury when their small plane, a two-seat GlaStar, flipped over after landing at Sequim Valley Airport.
GlaStars are kit-built planes with a welded steel fuselage, with a fiberglass covering and aluminum wings.
The Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said the plane’s front tire hit a dip after the father landed on a grass runway just north of the main paved runway on Saturday afternoon.
Detective Sgt. Eric Munger, of the Clallam County Sheriff’s Office said the plane then rolled over on its top, but the passengers were able to walk away from the wreck.
The Federal Aviation Administration has taken the lead on the accident investigation, Munger said.
The sheriff’s office are also taking part in the investigation.
The FAA has not released the names of those aboard the plane or other details related to the crash.
According to the FAA website, the plane was built in 2004 and is registered to Michael E. Henderson of Edmonds.
The Sequim airport was the venue this weekend for the Olympic Peninsula Air Affaire, celebrating the 30th anniversary of the airport’s opening, but the plane was not participating in the event, said Kelly Hill, co-coordinator for the Air Affaire event.
The Air Affaire included a number of vintage aircraft flying in for the Saturday and Sunday bash, along with hot air balloons, stunt pilots, wing walkers, remote-controlled planes and a classic car show.
Several pilots from the air show witnessed the runway wreck, which took place as events on Saturday had ended for the day and many people has departed, Hill said.
“The pilot came in hot for a landing on the grass runway. He folded his landing gear and flipped over,” she said.
Reporter Arwyn Rice can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 5070, or at arwyn.rice@peninsuladailynews.com.
