A Cessna airplane made a crash landing in the San Rafael desert within the Muddy Creek Wilderness Study area. A lady called in and reported it looked like a plane was trying to land at the Hidden Splendor air strip. But, then it didn’t land and went down the Muddy where it didn’t come back.
The pilot crashed on the Muddy and then hiked out. The crash was two and a half miles from the Hidden Splendor air strip.
The plane slammed into sand and a brigham tea bush. The plane was damaged and smashed in with the wings bent.
A company out of Phoenix, Ariz. was brought in to take the airplane out. Since the crash was in a wilderness study area special permission was obtained from the Bureau of Land Management to use a Polaris to bring out the wreckage.
The plane was taken apart and then brought out with the ATV.
The crash occurred on May 8 and Deputy Mike Jorgensen hiked into the area on May 9 to obtain pictures and take the report. There were no injuries in the crash. The men hiked out and went into Green River. The company, Bear Transport went into the area on May 14 to bring the plane out.
Rob Lamb from the Wasatch Front was the pilot and mechanical difficulties were reported to be the cause of the crash landing.
Deputy Jorgensen said the backcountry airstrips are used quite frequently by pilots wishing to keep the strips alive and active. He assumes the pilot was out on a recreational flight when the difficulties began. The crash was about one quarter of a mile into the Muddy Creek WSA.
Plane crashes on the San Rafael Swell in a WSA
"A Cessna airplane made a crash landing in the San Rafael desert "