TOOELE COUNTY, Utah, Jan. 17, 2017 (Gephardt Daily) — A small plane crashed on Red Pine Peak, just west of Vernon, at about 5 p.m. Tuesday, and the pilot not only lived to talk about it, he walked away from the crash.
According to Tooele County Sheriff’s Sgt. Mick Yale, an emergency call came in at about 5:30 p.m., reporting the crash.
Tooele County Search and Rescue headed to the area, as well as a Utah Highway Patrol helicopter and AirMed. Yale said the Juab National Guard was also in the area and located the wreckage.
The pilot, whose name has not been released, was working as a contractor for the Bureau of Land Management, reseeding burned out areas.
He was flying back to Nephi when he lost power and missed the peak of Red Pine Mountain by about six feet.
Search and Rescue personnel feared the worst, Yale said, but the pilot was able to leave the crash site and walk out to Pony Express Trail, where he met up with some workers who were clearing brush.
Yale said the pilot, a 42-year-old man from Missouri, had only minor cuts and bruises and declined medical attention.
The airplane was owned by the contractor. The FAA is conducting an investigation into the crash and may release more information at a later date.
