PORT HADLOCK — A pilot escaped a plane crash near Port Hadlock with minor injuries after his engine died shortly after takeoff Sunday afternoon.

The 87-year-old Snohomish County man, the sole occupant, was transported to Jefferson Healthcare hospital with a minor injury to his hand, according to East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesperson Bill Beezley.

The crash was first reported at 1:58 p.m. Sunday near the Irondale Church at 681 Irondale Road.

The pilot, who Beezley did not identify, told responders that shortly after he took off from the Jefferson County International Airport the door on the plane opened.

He then turned around in an effort to make it back to the airport, but the engine died.

“He did a classic pilot maneuver and aimed for a tree with one wing,” Beezley said.

He said that by hitting a tree with one wing, it slows down the plane and increases the chance of survival.

He said another pilot did the same thing last year.

The plane, a Beech B35 fixed wing single-engine aircraft, is registered to ABCS Association out of Mukilteo.

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Reporter Jesse Major can be reached at 360-452-2345, ext. 56250, or at jmajor@peninsula dailynews.com.

East Jefferson Fire-Rescue spokesperson Bill Beezley said the pilot of this Beech B35 fixed wing single-engine aircraft used a “classic pilot maneuver” to avoid more injuries when it crashed Sunday near Port Hadlock. (East Jefferson Fire-Rescue)