Plane lands on its belly at airport
<p>Northern Lakes firefighters, Kootenai County Sheriff deputies and airport officials inspect damage to an aircraft that wrecked Friday at the Coeur d'Alene Airport.</p>
COEUR d'ALENE - A small aircraft landed on its belly Friday afternoon at the Coeur d'Alene Airport's Pappy Boyington Field, but no one was injured and the plane sustained only minor damage, according to the Kootenai County Sheriff's Department.
Pilot Kent M. Pope and passenger Trevor K. Pope landed the aircraft without lowering the landing gear, deputies said. Emergency personnel from the sheriff's department and Kootenai County Fire and Rescue responded to the scene at approximately 3 p.m.
Both Kent and Trevor Pope were found uninjured, deputies said. The two men had taken off from the Coeur d'Alene Airport.
The belly landing caused minor damage to the aircraft, deputies said. It was unknown Saturday whether the plane's landing gear had malfunctioned or not.
The aircraft was soon moved off the runway and the airport experienced only minor delays, the sheriff's department noted. Airport management had already contacted the Federal Aviation Administration prior to emergency personnel clearing the scene.
The FAA is investigating the incident, deputies said.