A small plane flipped over at Southwest Michigan Regional Airport on Wednesday morning, sending two people to the hospital with minor injuries.(Benton Harbor Department of Public Safety)
BENTON HARBOR, Mich. (WNDU) – A small plane flipped over during an emergency landing at Southwest Michigan Regional Airport on Wednesday morning, sending two people to the hospital with minor injuries.
Emergency responders received a call about the overturned aircraft around 9:30 a.m. The pilot and lone passenger had already exited the plane when crews arrived and were taken to the hospital. Both have since been discharged.
According to airport officials, the plane began its voyage in Canada before making stops in Port Huron and Battle Creek. An aircraft malfunction after taking off from Dowagiac prompted the emergency landing in Benton Harbor.
While landing, the plane’s right wing hit the runway. Officials said this might have caused the aircraft to flip over. The plane never caught fire, but emergency personnel sprayed non-flammable foam on the wings as a precaution.
Officials closed the runway for two hours to clear the crash scene. During this time, another plane requested to land. To prevent another crash due to icing or low fuel, officials instructed the plane to land on an alternate crosswind runway.
The airport has returned to normal operations and will remain open barring severe snowfall. Airport Director Christopher Beckman said it’s up to pilots to determine if they feel comfortable flying in inclement weather.
“That 100 percent is based on the pilot. They know their aircraft and their abilities way more than I can,” Beckman said. “Each individual as a pilot is different, so that is 100 percent a risk on them. I can’t say whether or not they can. All I can try to do is make this runway and the airfield as safe as possible for them to operate.”
