More plane information turned up on Thursday after National Transportation Safety Board investigators arrived in Missoula following a fatal plane crash at Missoula International Airport.
In response to the National Transportation Safety Board-proposed ban on cellphones while driving, the Alliance of Automobile Manufacturers tried to defend hands-free devices.
Studies about the dangers of using a cell device while driving have produced mixed results — some say talking or texting behind the wheel can increase the odds of a crash exponentially, while others say the perils are few.
Regardless, the National Transportation Safety Board is so convinced of the dangers of “distracted driving” that it’s now called for a nationwide ban on non-emergency cell phone
Flathead County officials say two people escaped serious injury when a small airplane crashed shortly after takeoff from an airstrip at West Glacier.
The sheriff's department reports the plane was having engine trouble right after liftoff and the pilot was not able to turn around and land at the airstrip. The plane's engine sputtered and powered off as the plane came down at about 10 a.m. Sunday.
Blaine County officials say a single-engine crop dusting plane crashed about 50 yards from a north-central Montana farmhouse, killing the pilot.
County Commissioner Vic Miller says the plane crashed at about 5:15 a.m. Tuesday between Turner and Hogeland.