Pilot, Passenger OK As Port Townsend Aero Museum Bi-Plane Attempts Landing On Discovery Bay Tidelands

An instructor and passenger are OK after a vintage biplane made a forced landing Sunday afternoon along the shore of Discovery Bay, according to Discovery Bay Fire Department Chief Willie Knoepfle.

Due to an engine failure, the pilot attempted to land on the beach, and did so about 1:36 pm Sunday, April 28, near Carr’s Point along Discovery Bay’s western shore, about midway between the communities of Discovery Bay and Gardiner.

The passenger needed to be extricated from the wreckage, according to emergency responders. Both pilot and passenger were airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle, and were in stable condition as of Sunday afternoon. The two-place Stearman PT-17 biplane, built in 1941 and part of the Port Townsend Aero Museum collection, is reportedly a total loss.

The aircraft set down on the Gunstone family tidelands on the south side of Carr’s Point, where Contractor’s Creek enters the bay. An estimated 31 gallons of fuel was onboard the plane at the time of the crash, according to the Jefferson County Department of Emergency Management.

Residents collected 25 gallons and five gallons was discharged into the bay. The State Department of Ecology was contacted about the spill. Responders granted permission for the aircraft to be immediately removed from the tidelands to prevent further environmental damage.

The accident scene is across the bay from Jefferson County International Airport, where weather conditions Sunday were reported to be sunny with calm winds and good visibility.

The cause of the accident remains under investigation.

(Source: Port Townsend Aero Museum news release posted to Facebook by Taildragger Pilots United. Image from Taildragger Pilots United Facebook page)

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