Republican congressional candidate has flight scare

Published 10:12 pm Monday, September 3, 2012

Ninth District Republican candidate Jim Postma escaped without injury after his plane had a rough landing near the Spanaway Airport in Pierce County.

Postma was flying a plane he has owned for the last three years. When he went to land, he had to circle the airport and retract the landing gear, and when he came down the gear failed to deploy.

“I figured it would be a good landing, but it was rough and then I realized the gear was jammed,” he said.

Postma said this had never happened before. He has been flying since 1976.

Postma was onboard the plane with his wife, and they both left without serious injuries.

Postma, who is a retired engineer, will face off against Adam Smith for the second time. In 2008, Postma garnered 35 percent of the vote, to Smith’s 65 percent. The district looks fundamentally different this time around, with Bellevue and Mercer Island combining with several south county cities to form a new district. It previously covered more of Pierce County, including Joint Base Lewis McChord.