EVERETT — A pilot died Thursday afternoon when a small Glasair airplane crashed into woods on the west side of Paine Field shortly after takeoff, closing the airport’s main runway for about an hour and diverting at least one commercial flight.
The plane went down at about 2:48 p.m. in an undeveloped, wooded stretch of airport property roughly 750 feet west of the main runway, according to Seattle Paine Field Airport spokesperson Kristin Banfield. Crews found the aircraft engulfed in a small fire.
Paine Field Fire Department personnel put the flames out quickly assisted by Mukilteo Fire and South County Fire. Support 7, a regional unit that aids first responders, also responded to Thursday’s incident. The wreckage remained in the woods while investigators worked the site.
The pilot was the only person on board and was pronounced dead at the scene. Banfield said the aircraft had been cleared for takeoff and that staff had no indication of a malfunction before the crash. Officials did not say where the flight was headed and the plane was not tied to the airport’s flight school.
The main runway stayed closed for about an hour. A Horizon Air flight inbound from Las Vegas was diverted to Seattle-Tacoma International Airport and an Alaska flight bound for Phoenix was delayed about an hour.
The National Transportation Safety Board will lead the investigation into the cause. The Snohomish County Medical Examiner’s Office will identify the pilot and determine the cause and manner of death.
Glasair aircraft are homebuilt kit planes long associated with Arlington, about 15 miles north of Everett. The company was founded there in 1980 by Tom Hamilton and became known for composite kitplanes used by amateur builders. It was acquired in 2012 by China’s Jilin Hanxing Group and later operated as Glasair Aviation USA, which has kept a presence in Arlington for parts and support of existing aircraft.
Author: Mario Lotmore
