Mechanical failure leads to 2-passenger plane crash at airport

A Cessna 310 crashes at the St. George Municipal Airport due to mechanical failure while landing, St. George, Utah, March 20, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Brad Kitchen, City of St. George, St. George News

ST. GEORGE – A plane crashed at the St. George Municipal Airport Friday evening after it experienced a mechanical failure.

A Cessna 310 crashed at the St. George Municipal Airport due to mechanical failure while landing, St. George, Utah, Feb. 21, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Brad Kitchen, City of St. George, St. George News
A Cessna 310 crashed at the St. George Municipal Airport due to mechanical failure while landing, St. George, Utah, March 20, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Brad Kitchen, City of St. George, St. George News

The incident occurred at about 7:30 p.m., when a pilot was landing a twin-engine Cessna 310 on runway 19 and the left main landing gear collapsed, causing the plane to skid off the runway, Airport Operation Supervisor Brad Kitchen said.

Two people were in the six-seat aircraft when it crash-landed, but both walked away uninjured. The plane, however, may be totaled due to the potential extent of the damage, Kitchen said.

“There’s extensive damage to the aircraft,” he said. “Structural damage to the rear-left side of the aircraft and left wing as well as the engine and prop.”

A Cessna 310 crashed at the St. George Municipal Airport due to mechanical failure while landing, St. George, Utah, Feb. 21, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Brad Kitchen, City of St. George, St. George News
A Cessna 310 crashes at the St. George Municipal Airport due to mechanical failure while landing, St. George, Utah, March 20, 2015 | Photo courtesy of Brad Kitchen, City of St. George, St. George News

The Federal Aviation Administration was contacted about the incident and then, in turn, contacted the National Transportation Safety Board in order to gain permission for airport personnel to move the damaged aircraft.

Another plane crash previously occurred at the airport Feb. 21 when an experimental single-engine aircraft was hit by a crosswind while landing on runway 19. The pilot was ejected from the aircraft when it crashed but was uninjured with the exception of a few scratches.

This report is based on preliminary information provided by the authorities and may not contain the full scope of findings.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2015, all rights reserved.

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