Montrose Daily Press

Managing Editor

MONTROSE – Sunday's deadly corporate jet crash was a first for both Montrose regional Airport Manager Scott Brownlee and Montrose Police Commander Tom Chinn.

Neither can recall ever seeing a major airplane crash at the airport.

Brownlee, who got the call about Sunday's crash while in church, said it was the only major crash of an aircraft during his two years at the airport.

Chinn said he can't remember a fatality aircraft crash in his 31 years with the department.

The only mishap Brownlee can recall was a May 19 incident, when a private plane was damaged after a wind gust blew the craft off a runway.

That incident involved a single-engine Kitfox, which was blown off the runway around 4:45 p.m. during takeoff, according to Brownlee.

The plane's pilot and passenger were not injured after the plane came to rest in a grassy field east of the runway, remaining upright, with damage to the right landing gear, wingtips and tail. Police, fire and emergency personnel responded to the airport in the May incident. The airport remained operational during the incident.

Emergency and rescue personnel were called out on another incident on Aug. 12, 2003.

Montrose resident and private pilot Mike Schell radioed the airport around 7 a.m. because he wasn't able to tell if the landing gear on the nose of his plane was functioning correctly.

Around 8 a.m., Schell landed the airplane successfully, alongside the airport's fire rescue truck, rolled down the runway behind the plane for precautionary purposes.