SPOKANE, Wash. – A plane crashed on Interstate 90 at Lookout Pass on Tuesday afternoon near the Idaho/Montana state line, officials confirmed.
A witness said he watched an experimental airplane glide down onto the highway around 2 p.m. on Tuesday. He also caught it all on video.
"First thing I noticed was a shadow going on top of me on the interstate," Tim Halbert said. "He was following the freeway the whole time. I thought it was weird."
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He was about a half mile away from crossing into Idaho when the plane appeared. The plane got lower and lower as he got closer and closer. Realizing that this was a situation that would not end well, he pulled over as the plane careened into road about 200 feet away.
"Pulled over and just tried to see what we could do to help," he said.
With his cell phone still rolling, Halbert picked up pieces of the plane off the highway. In his mind, one person was already likely hurt. and he did not want anyone else to suffer a similar fate.
Halbert said he was the one of the first people on the scene and waited with the pilot for emergency responders. He said the pilot was experiencing some back pain and had a few bumps and bruises but walked away from the crash.
"We helped him and he was bound and determined to get his cell phone, so we got his cell phone," Halbert said.
Then a fire started and other drivers joined in to help and quickly put it out. The gravity of the situation was not lost on him or anyone else there.
Halbert said the pilot told him he had caught a downdraft and his engine quit. Halbert said the pilot told him he couldn't get the engine going again and glided for a long while looking for a place to put the plane down.
"The pilot told me that he thought he was going to crash in the middle of the highway, so he made the choice to crash into the east median," Halbert said.
It was an act that could very well have saved lives. An investigation is underway to find out what caused the crash.
Mineral County Sheriff’s Office confirmed they responded to the incident, but did not have any further detail.
Montana Department of Transit's website indicated the driving lane is blocked eastbound, while the passing lane is partially blocked. Traffic was able to get through but drivers saw delays at mile post 0.5 on I-90. After speaking with a witness, it appears the road closures are as a result of the plane crash.
KREM 2 is still waiting to hear from officials on the pilot's injuries, but a Halbert said he appeared to be OK.
"A sheriff's deputy that was there told him to go buy a lottery ticket," Halbert said.