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SPANISH FORK — A small plane was forced to emergency land in a field after experiencing engine failure in Spanish Fork Saturday. The two occupants were able to get themselves out of the plane after landing.
About 2:30 p.m., Spanish Fork firefighters and paramedics were dispatched to a home in the area of 500 West and 1000 North, after the plane, a Piper Saratoga, had landed in the front yard.
The owner of the home, Jonathan Morrill, said that he was watching TV when his dog started acting strange. That's when he saw the plane and its two occupants in his yard.
"Thirty more feet and it would've been in my front door," Morrill said.
Spanish Fork city officials said the pilot heard the engine sputter before it failed completely. The cause of the engine failure is unknown.
"(The pilot) made a mayday call and tried to make it back to the Spanish Fork Airport but didn't have the speed or altitude to do so," according to the press release.
In an attempt to avoid landing on I-15, a power substation or a nearby building, the pilot decided to land in an empty field. The plane skidded through the field, clipped a power line and ended up in the front yard of a nearby residence across the field, according to a city news release.
"He lost his plane but, I mean, it could've been a lot worse," Morrill said.
Both male occupants exited the plane before crews arrived. There are no reports of injuries.
