Report: Pilot error caused Canyonlands plane crash

Report: Pilot error caused Canyonlands plane crash


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CANYONLANDS NATIONAL PARK -- Federal investigators say a small-plane crash that killed two people in Canyonlands National Park last May was due to pilot error.

The Cessna went down May 30 in the park's Needles district. The crash killed the pilot, 66-year-old John Keys of Moab, who was a former commissioner of the Bureau of Reclamation, and passenger Gary Kramer, 49, of Scottsdale, Ariz.

In its final report, the NTSB says Keys failed to keep clear of the mountainous terrain as he flew at a low altitude in a narrow canyon.

The NTSB says Keys was giving an aerial tour at the time of the crash.

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