California pilot walks away from controlled landing

May 22, 2017

At around 4 p.m. Sunday, Deputies from the Kootenai County Sheriff’s Office and personnel from the Northern Lakes Fire Department and the Coeur d’ Alene Airport responded to a report of an airplane in distress. Pilot James T. Ostrich, 62, Redding, California, radioed to the airport that he had possible landing gear issues. He requested a “fly-by” to allow airport personnel to check the status of the aircraft's landing gear. As the aircraft made the fly-by, personnel on the ground determined the front landing gear was not all the way out. Ostrich decided to attempt a controlled landing at the airport, and circled the airport to burn off excess fuel. At about 4:30 p.m., the aircraft landed safely on the runway. The front landing gear did collapse when it touched down, but the pilot was able to keep the nose up long enough to prevent any major damage or injury. The aircraft was described as a 1956 Beech, fixed wing, single-engine plane with only one occupant. The investigation was handed over to the FAA and the Coeur d'Alene Airport.