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WEST JORDAN — The pilot of a small plane died Thursday when he crashed on the grounds of Columbia Elementary School.
The home-built plane landed right next to the east side of the school at 3505 W. 7800 South about 12:20 p.m.
A dog traveling inside the plane with the pilot was also killed during the crash.
"What we know about the plane crash is the plane came in at a steep angle and a high rate of speed. It was very close to the building," said West Jordan Fire Battalion Chief Reed Scharman. "There was no injuries to anyone on the ground."
Chin Nguyen, who lives next door to the school, was in the computer room of her home when said she heard, "Boom — a very loud noise." Both she and her husband ran to different porches to see what had happened.
"My husband said he couldn't believe it. A plane crashed!"
She said there was no smoke or fire, just a crumpled plane with a broken wing. Children and teachers were at recess on the nearby playground when the crash occurred.
It's really scary because my first thought was it's in the school, and a bunch of kids could be injured or hurt.
–Adrina Chatwin
"I wondered how come nobody tried to rescue the person in the plane," she said. Not long after that, investigators put up a white sheet over part of the plane. Investigators later confirmed that the pilot died on impact.
"I felt so bad," Nguyen said. "It happened so fast."
The tail of the plane appeared to be less than 1 foot away from the school.
The school was put into lockdown after the accident, a school spokesman said. Parents were contacted and school remained in session for the full day. Parents were told to pick up their children on 7800 South, on the other side of the school from where the crash occurred.
Some parents, however, arrived at the school to take their children home.
"I'm going home because I'm scared," one young student said as she got into the car with her mother.
Adrina Chatwin's sixth-grade daughter was outside at recess and saw the plane came down. She called her mother from her cell phone.
"She saw it come down. She was crying hysterically saying, 'Come get me,'" Chatwin said. "It's really scary because my first thought was it's in the school, and a bunch of kids could be injured or hurt."
Taralyn McConnehey, who has a second-grade student attending the school, said she panicked when she saw a number of police and fire vehicles heading toward the school. She said she tried to call the school but couldn't get through.
I'm very concerned. It's been very nerve- wracking.
–Taralyn McConnehey
"My daughter gets so freaked out by the littlest things," she said.
School officials told the mother to come back at the end of the school day. McConnehey said she is worried about how the incident may have affected her daughter.
"I'm very concerned. It's been very nerve-wracking," she said.
Investigators did not yet know where the pilot was going or coming from or what caused the crash. West Jordan police will conduct an investigation with the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration.
"It's an unfortunate thing to have a plane come down, but we're happy it went down where it did," Scharman said.
A school carnival scheduled for Thursday night was rescheduled until next week because of the crash.
A couple of pilots told KSL about the passion most plane builders feel for their work.
"Their heart and soul are in these planes," said pilot Shane Rosanova. "It's their dream. It's something they've worked their whole life to achieve."
Rosanova is a professional pilot who builds and flies kit planes for fun.
The builders have been so meticulous with the work they've done because this is their baby. This is what they've worked years to try to have.
–Shane Rosanova
"It's incumbent on all of us to do the best we can and keep it safe," he said. "And I would say the airplanes themselves, absolutely, (are) just as safe."
Pilot Bruce Johnson spent eight years building his airplane. He admits experimental aircraft may have a higher accident rate than other small planes, but he said they're checked out by the FAA before they fly.
"Even though it may say experimental, that doesn't mean that they're any less safe," Johnson said.
Pilots flying experimental planes are also required to have the same certification.
"The piloting skills are virtually the same," Johnson said.
When it comes to the safety of their work, kit builders say there's nothing more important among their peers.
"The builders have been so meticulous with the work they've done because this is their baby," Rosanova said. "This is what they've worked years to try to have."
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Written by Emiley Morgan and Jed Boal.
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