Small plane crashes at Reid-Hillview runway while attempting takeoff

A small plane trying to take off from Reid-Hillview Airport Sunday afternoon tilted and skidded off the runway, prompting a brief halt in takeoffs and landings, according to fire officials.

The pilot suffered minor injuries and was treated at the airport. There were no passengers aboard.

About 12:45 p.m., San Jose Fire dispatchers received an emergency call from the airport, fire Capt. Brad Cloutier said.

“The aircraft, a Piper PA-28, had just departed Runway 31 Right when it crashed onto Runway 31 Left under unknown circumstances,” Allen Kenitzer of the FAA Office of Communications wrote in an email.

“One wing tip got tilted, hit the pavement and caused the plane to skid off the runway,” Randy Christopher, a fire department senior dispatcher, said.

The pilot was able to get out of the plane, Cloutier said. The plane ended up losing its nose gear on the pavement.

The aircraft suffered substantial damage, according to Kenitzer.

Landings and takeoffs were suspended for about a half-hour until firefighters could clean up spilled oil and airport officials could move the plane away from the landing strip area.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board, as is usual in aircraft crashes, will investigate, Kenitzere.