Man is injured in ultralight-plane crash

ZION NATIONAL PARK — An ultralight-plane crash sent a man to the hospital with broken bones after he spent the night in Zion National Park Saturday night.

The ultralight craft he was flying with his son crashed around 6:15 p.m., said park ranger Therese Picard. Neither their names nor hometowns were released.

The father, who is in his 60s, broke his ankle and arm in the crash, and the son sustained minor injuries, said Ron Terry, Zion National Park public information officer.

Because of waning daylight and the area's remoteness — the vicinity of the North Fork trail head near Kolob Terrace Road — the father and son couldn't be extracted Saturday.

Park medics reached the pair that night, and the following morning, a helicopter from Grand Canyon National Park evacuated them. They were listed in stable condition. The father was later transported to Dixie Regional Medical Center. The son, in his late 20s, refused additional medical treatment.

Terry said the craft was severely damaged and will be removed from the park at a later date.

— Joseph M. Dougherty and Lana Groves