A wind gust flipped a small plane completely upside-down recently at Bellingham International Airport, but fortunately the occupants walked away uninjured.
The incident took place in the late morning, according to Mike Hogan, a spokesman for the Port of Bellingham. A Cessna 172 attempted to turn onto Runway 34 to begin its takeoff. According to the pilot, the wind gust hit the plane at that moment, lifting it off the ground and flipping it onto its back. It landed at the left shoulder of the runway's south end.
Instruments belonging to the National Weather Service are maintained at the airport, and recorded winds of 23 mph with gusts of up to 33 mph at the time of the incident.
Hogan added that there were two men in the plane, and they were both walking around outside the aircraft when emergency personnel arrived. Paramedics examined them, and then they were taken to the General Aviation terminal. The plane had come to Bellingham from Vancouver, B.C.
Bellingham International was closed when the incident occurred, and remained shut down until the plane was removed from the runway – an action that had to wait until the FAA approved it. The airport was closed for about two hours.
Such incidents are rare, but officials who operate facilities like this can use poster printing to create visual aids warning about hazards common to the area.