A small airplane landed on its belly Tuesday at the Unalaska airport. No one aboard was injured, but the accident shut down the runway for about four hours.
Returning from Akun Island, the Grant Aviation plane touched down without landing gear around 1:30 p.m., according to a statement by the Alaska State Troopers (AST).
The pilot and two passengers exited safely and declined medical attention. But the aircraft -- a Super King Air 200 -- sat on the runway with bent propeller blades for several hours before officials could bring a crane to move it.
Grant Aviation officials didn’t immediately return calls for comment, but a mechanic at the airport said he didn’t know why the plane came down without landing gear.
The runway sustained minimal damage, according to a spokesperson for the Alaska Department of Transportation (DOT). The extent of damage to the plane is still unclear.
The AST and DOT are investigating the cause of the accident, according to a statement by the Unalaska Department of Public Safety.
