Plane with 2 aboard crashes on landing at Sunriver Airport; no injuries

Plane flown by student pilot flipped onto snow beside runway

(Update: Adding video, comment from Leading Edge official)

SUNRIVER, Ore. (KTVZ) — Two licensed pilots on a training flight escaped injury Monday afternoon in the crash of a small plane that was landing at Sunriver Airport, officials said.

The crash, reported around 12:40 p.m., left the single-engine plane on its top in the snow beside the runway at the resort’s airport, Sunriver Fire Department officials said.

The crash led to a small fuel leak that was contained.

The Cessna 172, which received its airworthiness certificate in 1976, is registered to Leading Edge Aviation, a pilot training facility located at Bend Airport, according to FAA records.

Officials told NewsChannel 21 on scene that the pilot apparently was attempting a left-turn maneuver shortly before landing, was unable to re-correct and landed in the snow bank beside the runway, where the plane flipped over, sustaining considerable damage to its wings.

The airport was closed after the crash, while crews worked to remove the plane from the snow bank. It reopened around 3 p.m.

Jack Walker, executive vice president of Leading Edge, said their investigation is just starting but that “our main concern is, he’s safe, the passenger is safe.” 

Walker said both are Bend residents and licensed pilots who were on a training flight. “The plane is in Sunriver until further notice, he added.