Three Cheers For The Sturdy Viking!

A local pilot was injured Saturday after making a forced landing near Paine Field in Everett, WA. The unidentified pilot, a 51-year old Woodinville man, was attempting to land on Runway 34L at Paine Field around 12:30 pm on Saturday, according to the Everett Herald.

While the exact cause of the crash is not yet known, officials say the 1970 Bellanca 17-30 Viking (similar to type shown below) may have lost power on final approach.

The pilot apparently tried to land on a nearby road, but clipped power lines along the way... flipping the plane over, and knocking out power to nearby businesses.

The Bellanca skidded more than 200 feet along the road, tearing off the right wing and the propeller. Dennis Marshall and Jason Sutherland, employees at a nearby window company, heard a loud boom and their building momentarily lost power. They grabbed fire extinguishers and ran outside.

The airplane was on its back, leaking fuel, with the pilot trapped inside, bleeding from glass cuts to his head. Marshall ran for a first-aid kit while Sutherland used his shirt to stem the blood flow.

"We were asking him questions, asking his name, just to keep him coherent," Marshall said.

Paine Field firefighters were on the scene in minutes, having been notified by the Paine Tower that the airplane had not made the runway. They worked with Everett firefighters to pull the pilot from the airplane.

"He figured he was going about 100 mph when he hit the ground," Everett Fire Department Battalion Chief Nick Walker said. "During the skidding, his plane flipped upside down and he was trapped."

The pilot was conscious and alert when taken to the hospital, where he was treated for non-life threatening injuries.

No one else was on board the aircraft, and no other injuries have been reported.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating the accident.

FMI: www.painefield.com, www.faa.gov