ELBERTA, UTAH – October 24, 2015 (Gephardt Daily) – A Payson man escaped with only minor injuries after his plane crashed in Elberta Saturday morning.
According to Sgt. Spencer Cannon, Utah County Sheriff’s Office, deputies were dispatched to a report of a small airplane crash near Elberta, east of Eureka, in southwest Utah County just before 10:30 a.m. Emergency medical teams and fire personnel from Santaquin, Eureka, and Goshen responded.
When crews arrived, they found the pilot, Rick Edward Strong, 45, had been able to get out of the plane just before it caught fire.
Strong told investigators his stall light came on as he was about 300 feet above ground during a reseeding operation. He said he then attempted to take emergency measures, including flying underneath a power line, but was unable to recover. The plane hit the ground, spun around, and come to a rest facing the opposite direction he was flying.
Strong received only minor injuries and was evaluated by medical personnel at the scene. The plane, however, caught fire and is a complete loss.
