Small plane crash critically injures pilot, starts homes on fire in Roy

ROY — A West Haven man was transported to the hospital in critical condition Sunday night after his Cessna 210 aircraft crashed into a residential area, sending panic through the neighborhood followed by grateful surprise that no one was killed in two damaged homes.

The plane had been cleared to land by air control personnel at Ogden-Hinckley Airport and was on its approach when it went down, said Roy Police Sgt. Darin Calcut. He said pilot Clayton Roop, 46, was "conscious, breathing and alert" when he was transported to Ogden Regional Medical Center. He has since been transferred to the burn unit at the University of Utah Medical Center where he was listed in critical but stable condition late Sunday.

Investigators from the Federal Aviation Administration have begun an investigation into the crash, according to a Roy Police Department press statement. They will be assisted by investigators from the Roy police and fire departments and the Weber County Sheriff's Office.

Between 20 and 30 homes were evacuated shortly after the crash but by 10 p.m., only the residents of the fire-damaged homes remained evacuated.

The plane began to struggle in the heavy fog and clipped a power line near 2000 West and 4300 South just before 6 p.m., Roy City Fire Chief Jon Ritchie said.

Two homes were "heavily involved" with fire by the time emergency responders arrived at the scene. No other homes caught fire but there were reports of minor damage from debris. The homes were occupied at the time of the crash, but all those inside escaped without injury.

Val Saunders and Gary Cox were just down the street celebrating at a family birthday party at the time of the crash. Cox said he looked out the window and saw two power transformers "frying up." He ran outside and saw sparks and flames on some nearby trees and the pilot of the plane lying in the middle of the road.

"It wasn't safe for him to be there, so we moved him across the road," Cox said. "(He was) burned on his hands and his face, but he was actually coherent and remembered what his name was and what he was doing."

Saunders said Roop, who was surrounded on the road by hotdogs and hotdog buns, told him he was en route from Lake Powell.

Pieces of the airplane were strewn throughout the neighborhood, Cox said. The engine block was located in front of a house where trees were burning.

"We actually didn't know it was a plane at first. We just thought the power lines went out," Cox said.

They stayed with Roop until emergency personnel arrived on the scene.