Plane goes off Sunriver Airport runway, through fence

An 81-year-old Sunriver man’s small plane made a hard landing and ran off the end of the Sunriver Airport runway Wednesday morning, crashing through a barrier fence but causing no injuries and only minor damage to the plane, officials said.

The plane, a Mooney M20K, was on a local flight, returning to the resort community when it made the hard landing around 10:30 a.m. said FAA spokesman Allen Kenitzer in Seattle.

The pilot was the only person aboard, Kenitzer said, and the plane sustained minor damage.

Sunriver Interim Police Chief Scott Hayes said the man, an experienced pilot, had landed and then the plane bounced, and the wind pushed it off-course.

“At this point, it was just a fluke, based on the bounce the description the pilot gave us, the crosswinds that were occurring at the time, just departed the runway,” Hayes said.

There was minor damage to the plane’s wings and landing gear from going through the barbed-wire fence, Hayes said.

“At this point, the plane’s going to remain in the field where it’s at and the pilot will notify his insurance company and they’ll come down to take a look at it,” Hayes said.

Bend police and Deschutes County sheriff’s deputies responded to assist in the investigation.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, Kenitzer said.