Me 262 story

KIROTV.com site

Historic Plane Goes Off Runway
Messerschmitt 262 Ends Up In Ditch At Paine Field

POSTED: 3:37 p.m. PST January 17, 2003
UPDATED: 7:20 p.m. PST January 17, 2003

EVERETT, Wash. -- A rare, historic small plane went off the runway 
at Paine Field Friday. 

The Messerschmitt 262 is the first jet aircraft, a fighter launched 
by Germany in 1944. An Everett group recently started building some 
of the planes, of which only eight originals remain. 


The plane was the first reproduction of the Messerschmitt 262. It 
had done a test flight Dec. 20 with its gear down, and Friday's 
flight was the first attempt at a "gear up" flight. 

As the pilot landed, the left landing gear collapsed. The pilot 
managed to guide the plane off into grass, but it ended up in a 
ditch. 

The group making reproductions of the planes, called the ME 262 
project, is building the planes with new parts and planned to sell 
them for about $2 million each. 

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