Plane makes emergency landing in Moses Lake
Photos by Bill Stevenson/Columbia Basin HeraldA Port of Moses Lake firefighter examines an engine on a Horizon Dash8-400 after it made an emergency landing at the Grant County International Airport Tuesday night. The engine was reported to have caught fire as the plane approached Wenatchee.
No injuries, passengers bused to destination
MOSES LAKE - A Horizon passenger plane headed from Seattle to Wenatchee performed an emergency landing at Grant County International Airport in Moses Lake Tuesday night.
While in route, the pilot of Flight 2282 declared an emergency when a generator failed and sparks were seen coming from one of the plane's two engines.
There were 51 passengers and five flight crew members on the plane, Columbia Pacific Aviation President Jeff Akridge said. There were no injuries.
The plane diverted from it's course to Moses Lake because the landing strip is longer than the one available in Wenatchee, Port of Moses Lake Fire Department Senior Capt. Michael Trent said.
Once the plane safely landed, Grant County Fire District 5 was on scene as a precautionary measure but there was no fire when it landed, Akridge said.
Fire personnel conducted a protocol inspection before determining it was safe for the passengers to exit, Port of Moses Lake Fire Department Capt. Bryan Gwinnup said.
A Horizon maintenance crew is set to repair the plane for flight today, Akridge added.
A charter bus from the Tri-Cities took passengers from Moses Lake to Wenatchee. The flight crew spent the night in Moses Lake.
The atmosphere in the terminal was calm, he said. Pizzas were ordered for the passengers and flight crew.
"It was pretty exciting for a few minutes," said passenger Gary Donabauer of Wenatchee.
When he saw the sparks, he quickly notified the flight crew.
"I jumped out of my seat and ran up to the front," Donabauer said. "You know when you see that much fire, it can't be all right."
"I looked over and thought it was rain," said passenger Mike Bradshaw of Wenatchee said. "The sparks looked like raindrops."
It began as sparks and then turned to flames shooting out of the side of the plane several feet in the air, he said.
Once the crew was notified, the emergency lights came on, James Reed of Las Vegas, Nev., added.
He said the incident reminded him of an episode of the "Twilight Zone" involving an airplane.
"It was pretty uncomfortable until we saw the sparks decrease," Donabauer said.
As the plane remained in flight, the crew advised the passengers they were going though a checklist to try to determine what was wrong, Bradshaw said.
"Thank God we were on the ground," Bradshaw recalled thinking when arriving in Moses Lake.
Patricia Wearing of Waterville said she was thankful the pilot worked to keep everyone calm and gave updates of what was happening while they were in the air.
As passengers learned what was taking place, they seemed "white-faced" and "catatonic," she said.
"The captain was very, very on top of things," Wearing said. "He did not let loose. He was right there. He did a fantastic job."
More photos here.