Langley man injured in fiery plane crash

A 65-year-old Langley man was airlifted to Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Friday afternoon after his plane crashed at Whidbey Airpark on South Whidbey.

At around 3:40 p.m., Rick Foxworthy was in the process of landing his single-engine experimental aircraft when it lost power. One of the wings clipped the top of a tree near the runway, causing it to cartwheel and land upsidedown on the ground, according to an Island County Sheriff’s Office report.

Foxworthy left the plane on his own before the cockpit caught fire. He was later airlifted to the hospital with head and arm injuries, the report states.

South Whidbey Fire/EMS Chief Rusty Palmer said there was a large plume of black smoke and flames eminating from the aircraft when first responders arrived. It took about 30 minutes to fully extinguish the fire, he said.

The single-seat kit plane made by Sonex was destroyed. The model, called Onex, is approximately 16-feet, 5-inches long with a 20-foot wingspan.