Pilot survives crash landing at Cd'A Airport

HAYDEN — A pilot from Redding, Calif., and his plane survived a crash landing at the Coeur d’Alene Airport on Sunday afternoon, the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office reported.

Around 4 p.m., deputies from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and personnel from the Northern Lakes Fire Department and the Coeur d’Alene Airport responded to a report of an airplane in distress.

The pilot, James T. Ostrich, 62, reported he had possible landing gear issues. Ostrich communicated with airport personnel to conduct a “fly-by” to get the status of the aircraft’s landing gear. As the aircraft made the “fly-by” it was determined the front landing gear was not all the way out.

Ostrich decided to attempt a controlled landing at the airport, and circled the airport to burn off excess fuel. At 4:30 the aircraft landed safely on the runway. The front landing gear did collapse when it touched down, but the pilot was able to keep the nose up long enough to prevent any major damage or injury, the KCSO reported.

The aircraft was described as a 1956 Beech, fixed wing, single-engine plane with only one occupant. Ostrich was not injured in the controlled landing. The investigation was handed over to the FAA and the Coeur d’Alene Airport.