Plane Crashes and Burns in Wendover

Plane Crashes and Burns in Wendover


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Sarah Dallof Reporting Three people are lucky to be alive after a fiery plane crash. The plane went down around 2:00 Saturday afternoon at the Wendover Airport.

The three people on board suffered only minor injuries, and you realize just how lucky this family was when you see the pictures of the wreck. The three got out just seconds before it burst into flames.

A burned-out shell is all that's left of the Cessna 172 that was coming in for a landing at the Wendover Airport.

Gus Leon Jr., the Wendover airport manager, told KSL, "He was about five feet off of the runway when he said a crosswind caught him."

The plane skidded off the runway, traveling about 1,000 feet before hitting a dirt mound, launching back into the air, then finally coming to a stop.

"The wing on the plane broke. Fuel started coming out. The engine was still running. The passengers were able to get out of the plane and away from it. The plane caught on fire," Leon says.

Airport managers say pilot Jason Vance, his wife and his daughter emerged from the wreck shaken and in shock.

Leon told us, "The 10-year-old girl was yelling and screaming. She told her dad she'd never get on a plane again. He was trying to calm her down, in shock. He couldn't believe what had happened."

All three were flown to LDS Hospital. Their injuries were reportedly minor. Flying again immediately after the accident was perhaps the hardest part.

"That poor girl had to get back into the other plane and she was traumatized by getting back on another plane after that just happened," Leon said.

The Wendover Airport is open and running. In fact, the way the plane crashed, only one runway was closed for a short period of time so the medical plane and helicopter could land.

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