Plane crashes in Carbon County

PRICE — A single-engine plane hit a high-voltage power line, crashed and caught fire in Carbon County late Friday, killing the pilot and a passenger, authorities said.

The Mooney M20C crashed just after 11 p.m., apparently while on final approach to the Carbon County Regional Airport near Price, said Ian Gregor, spokesman for the Federal Aviation Administration.

The medical examiner was working Saturday to determine the gender of the two people killed in the crash.

"We believe it's a man and a woman, but the bodies were very badly burned," Gregor said.

The pilot left Carbon County Regional Airport about 9:30 p.m. en route to Green River, Gregor said. The pilot apparently reported he might need to return because he was low on fuel, Gregor said.

Because of the "very, very intense post-crash fire," it may take some time to identify the victim or victims, he said.

Gregor said the wreckage will be transported to a recovery facility in Spanish Fork, where inspectors "will go over it with a fine-toothed comb once it's there."

Local authorities were on the scene Saturday, along with an FAA investigator. FAA records show the plane was registered in Montana.