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PARK CITY, Utah (AP) -- The pilot of a single-engine aircraft was killed Monday afternoon when the plane crashed near Jordanelle Reservoir.
Summit County sheriff's officers said the plane had taken off from Billings, Mont., and was headed to Spanish Fork.
Thomas Mark Harmon, 50, of Laurel, Mont., was flying alone on a work-related trip when his Beechcraft Debonair went down about five miles from Park City, authorities said.
The plane crashed about 200 yards off U.S. Highway 40. the wreckage was spotted by a motorist, who called 911.
Sheriff David Edmunds said the weather may have been a factor.
"It was pretty much whiteout conditions," Edmunds said. "There was very low visibility, a lot of snow and a lot of pretty high winds."
Edmunds said the plane's fuselage was badly damaged but intact, and the tips of the wings had been sheared off.
Harmon died at the scene. An autopsy was expected to take place Tuesday in Salt Lake City, and the Federal Aviation Administration and National Highway Transportation Safety Board will conduct an investigation.
Harmon was on his way to Spanish Fork, Utah, to do some work at a power plant.
He is survived by his wife, Wanda; a son, Chris; a daughter, Amanda Carlson; and five grandchildren.
"He was a really big hunter, a fisherman, an outdoorsman and a family man," Chris Harmon said.
Harmon had logged about 1,000 hours of flight time since taking his first solo flight on March 3, 1999, said Larry Mayer, a friend and business partner who also works as photo editor for The Billings Gazette.
Funeral arrangements were pending.
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Information from: Billings Gazette, http://www.billingsgazette.com
(Copyright 2006 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
