SPANISH FORK, Utah, Feb. 10, 2024 (Gephardt Daily) — A pilot and passenger escaped injury after a small plane made an emergency landing Saturday afternoon in Spanish Fork.
Spanish Fork Fire and EMS responded at 2:30 p.m. to a field near 400 West and 1000 North where a plane had made an emergency landing and ended up in the front yard of a home.
The Piper Saratoga had experienced engine failure while on approach to Spanish Fork Airport, Spanish Fork city officials said.
Both male occupants of the plane were able to get themselves out before crews arrived.
The cause of the engine failure is unknown, but the pilot told first responders he heard the engine sputter and then fail. He made a mayday call and tried to make it back to Spanish Fork Airport but didn’t have the speed or altitude to do so, city officials said.
To avoid hitting a power substation, Interstate 15 or nearby structures, the pilot attempted a landing in an open field.
The plane skidded through the field after clipping a power line and finally came to rest across the street from the field and in the front yard of a home, city officials said.
The plane is considered a total loss, with damage estimated at $350,000.
Spanish Fork police also responded to the crash.
