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GOULDING, San Juan County — A small plane crashed during a wind storm as it was landing at a rural airport Monday afternoon.
Just after 3:30 p.m., a Cessna 207, carrying five passengers and a pilot, crashed short of the runway, north of the Monument Valley Airport, according to the Federal Aviation Administration.
The pilot was seriously injured and was taken to the Flagstaff Medical Center, in Flagstaff, Ariz. All five of the passengers received minor injuries and were treated at the scene of the crash, according to Charles Bassett, vice president of operations for Grand Canyon Airlines, which chartered the flight from the Grand Canyon National Airport to Monument Valley.
The plane, manufactured in 1979, is based out of Page, Ariz., but had been touring all day Monday, Bassett said.
He said the cause of the crash is unknown and the FAA, along with the National Transportation Safety Board, are conducting an on-scene investigation.
Bassett didn't recall any other accidents experienced by the company, which hosts aircraft tours throughout the Grand Canyon area, in the last 10 years, "and certainly not in the last two-and-a-half years, in my tenure here," he said.
The aircraft is capable of carrying up to six passengers and was not at capacity Monday. More details will be available Tuesday.
Email:wleonard@ksl.com
