Plane crash kills 2 in southern Utah

PANGUITCH — A Utah man and a California woman were killed in a plane crash Friday in a remote part of Garfield County.

The plane went down about 8:45 a.m. in the Calf Creek Recreational area, between Escalante and Boulder just off Scenic Highway 12, after apparently clipping a power line, hitting the road and skidding into the Calf Creek Bridge, said Garfield County sheriff's spokeswoman Becki Bronson.

Killed were John Austin, 64, of Boulder, Garfield County, and Susan D. Gordon, 67, of California.

Austin, who owned the plane, was believed to have taken off from his own property and was likely taking Gordon on a short trip to show her the countryside, Bronson said. Officials don't believe Austin filed a flight plan with anyone.

The sheriff's office received several complaints just prior to the crash of a low flying plane, she said. The plane was so low that cattle in the area were being disturbed, Bronson said. Investigators believe the pilot may have been purposely flying too low before the Stork two-seater crashed, she said.

The plane crashed in a basin area where there is no cell-phone reception, she said. Information was being relayed by deputies traveling in and out of the area and calling with updates once they reached an area with cell-phone reception.

— Pat Reavy