Emery County Sheriff’s Office Press Release
At 6:15 p.m. on Friday, Oct. 27, the Emery County Sheriffs Office (ECSO) Dispatch Center received information from Salt Lake Air Traffic Control of a possible plane crash. It was reported that they were tracking a plane from the Vernal Regional Airport (Utah) and the plane had abruptly stopped transmitting a GPS location over the mountains west of Huntington, Utah.
An ECSO Deputy responded to the area using coordinates given, but was unable to get to the exact location due to rough and steep terrain. ECSO Dispatch Center requested assistance from the Utah DPS Aero Bureau, and a Department of Public Safety (DPS) helicopter responded to search the area. At 8:24 p.m., the DPS crew located the wreckage on a cliff face and reported that the crash was not survivable. A joint decision was made to call off recovery efforts for the night because it was too dangerous for the helicopter to maneuver against the cliff face in the dark.
Recovery efforts resumed on Saturday morning, Oct. 28. The DPS helicopter flew two ECSO personnel to the crash site and hoisted them down to process the scene. The body of the pilot was recovered. He was the only person aboard the aircraft. The National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) is conducting the investigation.
Emery County Sheriffs Office offers sincere condolences to the family and thanks the Utah DPS Aero Bureau for their expertise and assistance.
