Feds investigate fatal plane wreck near Ferndale Airstrip
JACK UNDERHILL | Hagadone News Network | UPDATED 7 months, 2 weeks AGO
KALISPELL GOVERNMENT, HOUSING AND TRANSPORTATION REPORTER Jack Underhill covers Kalispell city government, housing and transportation for the Daily Inter Lake. His reporting focuses on how local policy decisions affect residents and the rapidly growing Flathead Valley. Underhill has reported on housing challenges, infrastructure issues and regional service providers across Montana. His work also includes accountability reporting on complex community issues and public institutions. Originally from Massachusetts, Underhill graduated from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst with a degree in Journalism before joining the Inter Lake. In his free time, Underhill enjoys mountain biking around the valley, skiing up on Big Mountain or exploring Glacier National Park. IMPACT: Jack’s work helps residents understand how growth, housing and infrastructure decisions affect the future of their community. | September 23, 2025 12:00 AM
The National Transportation Safety Board is investigating a fatal Sept. 19 crash near the Ferndale Airfield in Bigfork.
The downed plane was an experimental, amateur-built Murphy Moose aircraft, according to the federal agency.
One person was killed in the wreck, according to KPAX, citing the Flathead County Sheriff’s Office. The Sheriff’s Office did not respond to the Daily Inter Lake’s request for information before press time.
The fixed wing, single-engine plane’s serial number was registered to Creston property owner Bradley Young, according to Federal Aviation Administration records.
The Ferndale Airfield consists of a grass runway and is managed by the Flathead Municipal Airport Authority, which also operates Glacier Park International Airport.
Flathead County saw three other small plane crashes this summer, two of them deadly.
Two Washington men died in July after crashing into trees while taking off from the grass runway at Ryan Airfield, a remote airstrip near West Glacier.
The next month another pilot died while attempting to land on the airstrip. The amateur-built plane was attempting a go-around when its right wing clipped a tree to the right of the runway, according to a preliminary accident report released by the National Transportation Safety Board.
The airplane became inverted and impacted terrain nose down, according to the report.
Also in August, a pilot and three passengers were able to walk away from a fiery wreck after crashing into the Kalispell City Airport.
The plane, a Socata TBM 700, caught fire after crashing while landing. The burning airplane careened down the runway and collided with other parked aircraft.
Reporter Jack Underhill can be reached at 758-4407 and [email protected].
ARTICLES BY JACK UNDERHILL
Coalition, cruisers seek solutions to curb reckless driving on Kalispell's Main Street
The Downtown Forward Coalition has begun meeting with cruising enthusiasts, exploring ways to curb reckless driving along Main Street on Friday nights.
Flathead Valley Reentry Center prepares to release first residents, plans to add more staff
The Flathead Valley Reentry Center is fully operational and on track to release its first resident offenders into the community this month.
Defense argues self-defense as Jeffrey Serio's homicide trial opens in Flathead County District Court
Suspected murderer Jeffrey Serio’s attorney argued Tuesday that the 48-year-old acted in self-defense when he fatally ran over Maurice “Mory” Grigg with his car on an august evening last year.