It was a scary situation for a pilot of a small single-engine passenger plane at Cameron McIntosh Airport Friday afternoon.
The incident happened in the middle of the runway around 1:45 p.m. Immediately after the plane landed and as the pilot was readying to taxi in to the airport he said he heard a loud "pop" come from the engine. The pilot noticed the engine was on fire.
"He pulled the plane to the side, he got out, the airport manager arrived on scene and they pulled out the extinguisher and started to fight the fire," reported Deputy Fire Chief Kevin Steinborn.
By the time fire crews arrived from North Battleford the situation was under control. Steinborn noted airport manager Fran de Kock had done a good job of putting the fire out. The pilot was able to remove all his belongings and gear from the plane.
All that was left was for the emergency crews to attend to the pilot, who Steinborn said had suffered some minor cuts to his hand. The pilot was treated at the scene and did not need to be transported to hospital.
Emergency crews on the scene included the fire department, the RCMP and EMS.
The pilot was the lone occupant of the aircraft at the time of the incident. It is not immediately known where the flight originated.
Weather conditions were clear, but it was also cold. Environment Canada was reporting temperatures in North Battleford around -25C during the afternoon.
He was "very lucky it didn't happen in mid-air," said Steinborn. A decision on whether there will be an investigation into what happened will be left up to NAV Canada, Steinborn said.
This is the second notable emergency this year at Cameron McIntosh Airport.
In June a Piper PA-14 float plane destined for Calling Lake, Alta. crashed north of the main runway, killing a father and son from Whitehorse, Yukon. That plane had launched from a body of water north of the main terminal building, but crashed and burst into flames only a short distance away. An ensuing investigation found no evidence of mechanical failure.
