Federal investigators determined that an unstable landing approach caused the fiery plane crash at Kalispell City Airport in August.  

A preliminary accident report from the Federal Aviation Administration initially cited engine trouble in the Aug. 11 crash that sent black smoke billowing over the city.  

But the National Transportation Safety Board’s final investigation report released Nov. 6 concluded that the pilot’s unstable approach to the runway resulted in the small plane stalling at a low altitude and crashing into the ground. 

Pilot Scott Campbell, 50, of Pullman, Washington and three other people aboard all walked away from the crash largely unscathed. The plane, a Socata TBM 700 turboprop, was registered to Pullman-based Meter Sky LLC.  

Campbell reported that his fixed-winged single-engine plane was too high during his approach to the runway, according to the report. He reacted by reducing engine power to idle, but at about 40 feet above the ground the plane’s airspeed warning sounded.  

Campbell reported adding power, but his airspeed continued to decrease before the plane’s stall warning sounded. The airplane then rolled left, hit the left side of the runway, caught fire and slid into the section of tarmac for parked airplanes, according to the report.  

Surveillance video released by the federal agency shows the flaming plane careening off the runway and into parked airplanes before coming to a halt. 

AVIATION EXPERTS familiar with the incident called the pilot’s landing approach dangerous and unstable. They said he went from flying too fast to too slow in too short an amount of time, which prevented Campbell from properly preparing to land.   

Publicly available flight data shows Campbell flying perpendicularly over the municipal airport’s runway from the southwest before making a sharp loop over downtown Kalispell to align with the runway.  

Past Flight records reveal that the plane had a history of similar landing approaches, a pattern that experts described as reckless.  

Robert Katz, a commercial pilot and flight instructor with more than four decades of experience, said he expects the federal government to pursue disciplinary action against the pilot for his negligence.  

THE KALISPELL wreck was one of five small plane crashes that occurred around the Flathead Valley this year.  

Ryan Field — a remote airstrip in West Glacier — saw two fatal crashes in July and August that left a total of three people dead.  

A September crash at Ferndale Airfield in Bigfork resulted in the pilot’s death.  

Most recently an Alabama family was flying through the Bob Marshall Wilderness in October when their plane crashed, killing the pilot and his two daughters.  

The story was corrected to say that the airplane crash occurred on Aug. 11. 

Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].