It's rapidly becoming a case of, 'I don't know know, ask them' when it comes to finding out if indeed a small plane made a crash landing on one of the small islands in the Columbia River, near the Hanford Reach.

According to Mission Support Alliance and the Hanford Fire Department, a small private plane, probably single engine, made a crash landing on one of the islands near Ringold Monday, shortly after 12:30pm.

However according to a variety of government sources, including the Benton County Sheriff, Franklin County Sheriff, Department of Energy and Mission Support Alliance, officials are not 100% sure it happened.

Reports indicate the plane apparently landed, but the pilot was able to restart it and fly away before any crews arrived.

Officials with the Department of Energy said they are unsure if it occurred on one of the islands within the Hanford Reach, which is closed to the public to protect Indian tribal grounds. Officials say if there is any damage, they will assess what to do about it.

Here's hoping if the crash actually occurred, the pilot won't be held accountable for any 'damage', seeing as how when your engine quits, it's kind of hard to be selective about the landing site. You pretty much have to pick out the biggest target area where you can set the plane down.

The investigation continues. No other information was released.

 

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