Redmond Airport closed briefly after plane forced into emergency landing

Published 12:00 am Saturday, September 22, 2018

Redmond Airport closed for about three hours Friday after a twin-engine plane made an emergency landing when its landing gear malfunctioned and it had to land on its belly without landing gear.

Airport Director Zachary Bass said the rough landing occurred at 12:22 p.m. and the lone pilot in the plane was not injured. The Beechcraft Baron had minor damage to its underframe, and smoke came out of the plane when it landed, he said.

The pilot, who has not been identified, contacted air traffic control to warn them the plane’s landing gear was not coming down.

Redmond Fire and Rescue’s Aircraft Rescue and Firefighting unit responded as the plane was landing and immediately used foam to protect the plane from a potential fuel fire.

The Federal Aviation Administration was notified and allowed the airport to remove the aircraft with a small crane, Bass said.

The plane landed on Runway 5, one of two runways at the airport. The other runway is closed for repairs, so the emergency landing blocked the only active runway at the airport.

The airport reopened about 3 p.m., but commercial flights were affected during the closure and several departures, and arrivals were delayed. No flights were canceled.

The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

According to FAA records, the plane was built in 1979 and is owned by Thomson Resources Inc. in Bend. According to the Oregon Secretary of State’s Office, James and Kimberly Thomson are the president and secretary of the company.

— Reporter: 541-617-7820, kspurr@bendbulletin.com

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