PORT TOWNSEND — A 78-year-old Sequim man was listed in critical condition after his small, single-engine airplane crash-landed early this afternoon at Jefferson County International Airport.
John M. Cook reportedly received facial and other injuries and was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle.
Keppie Keplinger, East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokeswoman, said a gust of wind caught the Remos G3-600 light sport aircraft and flipped it into grass next to the runway.
The pilot sustained what appeared to be injuries that were not life-threatening, Keplinger said.
Hospital spokeswoman Susan Gregg-Hanson said Cook was listed in serious condition Thursday afternoon.
The plane was a two-passenger aircraft made in 2007. Cook was the sole passenger on the plane.
“I’m pretty sure it’s totaled,” said B.J. Hallinan, co-owner of airport-based Port Townsend Aircraft Service, who heard the crash from his hangar and was one of the first to respond to the crash site.
Hallinan said he found Cook, a frequent flier at the airport, to be coherent, even trying to get out the crashed aircraft.
“He had hit his face,” Hallinan said, “but he was able to talk and knew where he was and who he was.”
Hallinan, who has been in the aircraft repair business for more than 20 years, said he’s seen three crashes since opening the business three years ago.
“This is more than I’m use to seeing,” he said, citing the crosswinds at the airport can be tricky.
The pilot was coming in from the east when he attemped to land, Hallinan said.
The Federal Aviation Administration will investigate the crash.
Port Townsend-Jefferson County Editor Jeff Chew can be reached at 360-385-2335 or at jeff.chew@peninsuladailynews.com
