BOZEMAN — A small airplane ran off the runway at Bozeman Yellowstone International Airport (BZN), diverting one flight and causing two others to circle the airport on Tuesday, August 27, 2024.
I talked with BZN CEO Brian Sprenger, who told me that around 6:45 p.m., a Beech Bonanza plane landed, lost control, and exited the runway.
As the plane went off the runway, the nose gear collapsed, as you can see in the photo taken by Jordan Lemmon.
Just after the incident, an Alaska Airlines flight was coming in from Seattle.
The plane did not have enough fuel to circle the area for 90 minutes and had to be diverted to Billings-Logan International Airport for refueling. The detour added two hours to the flight.
Two additional flights had to circle the area while waiting for the plane to be removed, but those flights did not have to be diverted.
The Federal Aviation Administration and National Transportation Safety Board took around 90 minutes to inspect and clear the plane.
There were no injuries in this incident, and the plane was safely removed.
Sprenger says it is still not known what caused the airplane to lose control.
