The National Transportation Safety Board said a deadly plane crash near Monticello was caused by a pilot flying too low to the ground.

The NTSB recently released its findings in the August 2008 crash that killed Eric Johnson, Brian Bayles and Kim Acton. The men were in the single-engine plane spotting wildlife when it crashed into a field in the Four Corners area.

"The pilot's failure to maintain clearance from terrain while maneuvering," was the official cause listed in the NTSB probable cause statement. "Contributing to the accident was the low altitude."

A report filed by the NTSB said witnesses saw the single-engine Piper circling with the wings "completely up and down" before the airplane's wings leveled onto a westerly heading. The witnesses told investigators the airplane was at an "extremely low altitude."

"Examination of the airframe and flight control system components revealed no evidence of preimpact mechanical malfunction," the report said.

The report also said the airplane's pilot, Eric Johnson, had no medical problems prior to the crash. Debris from the crash was scattered 190-feet across a field.

Johnson and Bayles were members of the Blanding City Council. Acton was a former councilman.

Several high profile plane crashes in Utah remain under investigation by the federal agency, including crashes near Bear Lake, Parowan and a crash that killed 10 people near Moab.

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E-mail: bwinslow@desnews.com