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UPDATE: Plane May Have Lost Mail on Flight from Billings to Kalispell

By Beacon Staff

A plane contracted by the U.S. Postal Service may have lost up to two bags of priority mail on a flight from Billings to Kalispell, totaling up to roughly 25 pounds of cargo.

The incident occurred at approximately 1:30 a.m. on Feb. 20, according to USPS spokesperson Lisa Blomquist. A door on the plane came unlatched mid-flight, said Alpine Air Express CEO Gene Mallette, and it was found ajar when the plane landed in Kalispell. There was still mail in the bay, Mallette said, and it is still uncertain if priority mail fell out during the flight.

“We could have lost a couple bags but that is undetermined at this point,” Mallette said.

Original reports from USPS indicated that two bright orange bags of priority mail fell out of the door during a snowstorm. However, Mallette said that may not have happened and both Alpine Air and USPS are flying over the area to look for any missing bags. Snow has visually impeded the search so far, Blomquist said. If the bags fell, it was somewhere between Eddie’s Corner near Billings and Kalispell, leaving a large area to scour.

“We are fully anticipating that the air search will continue Thursday or Friday of this week,” Blomquist said.

The plane can carry roughly 3,000 pounds of mail, Blomquist said.

Mallette said they haven’t figured out why the door opened, but that there was turbulence and a bag may have been jammed up next to the latch. Post-flight tests have shown that the locks are sound, he said.

Blomquist said USPS is hopeful it will find the bags once the weather warms up and visibility improves. Anyone who thinks they may be missing priority mail packages can call the Kalispell Post Office at (406) 755-6450.