Police in Roy, Utah, say they have completed their investigation into a small plane crash over the weekend. They are unclear whether national safety officials will choose to investigate. (Photo credit: Brittany Stoffers)
ROY – Roy police say they’ve finished their investigation into a small plane crash which seriously injured two people over the weekend. Recent reports show the plane involved in the crash has had mechanical problems in the past.
Before the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) begins to investigate a small plane crash, it has to meet certain criteria, first. NTSB officials say they would only be instructed to do so if the crash led to fatalities or serious injuries, or if it caused severe damage to the plane.
It could take a few days for these orders to be handed down.
By noon Monday, federal officials told KSL Newsradio they hadn’t received any official instructions to investigate. However, Roy Police officers say they were getting everything ready, just in case.
“I was taking photos and sending photos to them while we had fire crews on the scene, and we were [still] on the scene,” said Sergeant Matthew Gwynn.
Gwynn says their office has secured all of the available evidence from the crash.
“One of their [the NTSB] concerns was whether or not the aircraft was in a safe place,” he said, adding, “Based on the information they received, they didn’t feel like they needed to come out, immediately.
“They allowed us to remove the aircraft and get it off the freeway and get it into a secure hangar where they can do a follow-up.”
Their office is reportedly receiving a lot of complaints about the Ogden-Hinckley Airport, where this plane originated. There have been several crashes involving small planes at that airport in recent years, however, Gwynn says, “These aircraft are privately owned, either by individuals or corporations. They’re not owned by the airport.”
The Deseret News reports the plane has the same tail number as a plane that had to make an emergency landing on I-15 in May of last year. In that incident, the plane hit a car, but no one was hurt.
People who reportedly know one of the victims in this weekend’s crash say he broke both ankles, his sternum, his nose and several other bones.