Police briefs

Pilot error blamed for '08 plane crash

CEDAR FORT, Utah County — The National Transportation Safety Board is blaming pilot error for a fiery plane crash that killed two people last year near here.

In a final report made public May 6, the NTSB said the "pilot's failure to maintain an adequate airspeed and/or angle of attack to avoid a stall/spin during an aerobatic maneuver" was the probable cause of the Oct. 28 crash. The crash killed David Arthur Silfvast, 62, and his friend, David Fay Edgerly, 71.

Silfvast was piloting a Stardust Too experimental biplane and was involved in a similar crash in 1997 that he walked away from, unharmed. The NTSB said witnesses to the Oct. 28 crash saw the airplane performing a series of aerobatic maneuvers at a low altitude.

"The airplane was observed in what witnesses described as a 'flat spin' about 1,000 feet above ground level that continued until ground impact," the NTSB report said. "One witness stated that he heard the engine running until the airplane impacted the ground."

— Ben Winslow

Low clouds may have led to crash

STOCKTON, Tooele County — Low clouds and restricted visibility may have contributed to a plane crash that killed three people.

In a preliminary report made available Monday, the National Transportation Safety Board said the April 25 crash occurred as the plane was flying from Missoula, Mont., to Alamorgodo, N.M., when it crashed about 11/2 miles north of Stockton. All three people onboard — pilot Tom Risk, 66, of Littleton, Colo., and crew members Mike Flynn, 59, of Alamogordo, N.M., and Brian Buss, 32, Alberton, Mont. — were killed. The crew members for Neptune Aviation of Missoula, Mont., were bound for southern New Mexico to help fight a 19,000-acre wildfire.

"According to two individuals who were near the crash site, the airplane could be heard proceeding in a southeasterly direction, and although to them it sounded low, it could not be seen because of the low clouds," the NTSB's preliminary report said. "In a matter of seconds after the airplane passed their location, they heard what sounded like the airplane impacting the terrain."

The NTSB investigation continues. A final cause on the crash is not likely to be determined for at least a year.

— Ben Winslow

Apartment blaze displaces 2 families

SOUTH SALT LAKE — Two families were displaced by an early morning apartment fire Monday.