Arlington – Arlington emergency personnel responded to reports of an aircraft that landed hard at Arlington Municipal Airport shortly before 6 p.m. June 16. The two occupants of the Dornier Alpha Jet, a twin-engine German jet strike aircraft, walked away from the aircraft with no injuries. A minor fuel leak was stopped by Arlington Fire Department personnel after the incident.

The FAA and NTSB started to investigate the cause of the incident June 17, according to the city’s spokesperson, Kristin Banfield.

“It can take anywhere up to a year or more,” Banfield said.

The main north-south runway at the airport was closed until the aircraft was removed from the scene.

Runway 16/34 is also closed 7 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily while city crews are hydro-blasting the markings, sweeping and restriping the runway in a project funded by the airport, according to Airport Manager Rob Putnam.

“It’s one of those things we do on a regular basis,” Putnam said. “It’s best to do the work when the weather is warm, so it seals better. But it’s taking longer than we expected so the runway will be closed into next week as well,” Putnam said June 17, warning pilots that they can accommodate landings with several hours of notification. For information call Putnam at 360-403-3470.

Preparation for the construction of the airport office expansion is also getting started, Putnam said.

“They have started moving the utilities to get ready.”