Pilot injured in ultralight crash
<p><strong>Pilot</strong> Robert Christensen of Ronan was injured in this crash of an ultralight aircraft near Ronan on Friday. (Lake County Sheriff’s Office photo)</p>
The Lake County Sheriff’s Office responded to an ultralight plane crash off Songer Road southwest of Ronan Friday afternoon.
According to a press release from the Sheriff's Office, Robert Christensen of Ronan was still in the wreckage when responders arrived to find the plane upside-down in a grain field. He was cut out of the wreckage with the Jaws of Life and taken to the hospital.
A witness told law enforcement that Christensen was testing the plane for the first time when it lost altitude and crashed. Marks at the scene led law enforcement to believe that the left wing of the aircraft hit a side hill and spun the plane. The engine hit the dirt and caused the plane to flip onto its top.
Ronan Fire, Ronan Ambulance, Lake County Sheriff’s deputies, Lake County Department of Emergency Services and a Flathead Tribal game warden assisted at the scene.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board were contacted to investigate.