UTAH COUNTY — The Beehive State had an unusual day of aviation, with small planes landing where they weren't meant to.
On Tuesday afternoon, a single-engine plane was forced to make an emergency landing on Interstate 84 shortly after taking off in Morgan County on Tuesday.
The Utah Highway Patrol said the plane had departed from nearby Mountain Green before landing near milepost 100 on the highway. It's not known what kind of mechanical issues the plane had that forced the emergency landing.
No one was injured during the incident, and the landing caused all westbound lanes of the highway to be blocked so that the plane could be removed.
Then around 6:30 p.m., another single-engine aircraft had to make an emergency landing on the shore of Utah Lake.
The Utah County Sheriff's Office said the plane left the South Valley Airport in West Jordan, then began having engine trouble above Utah County. The pilot tried to troubleshoot the problem mid-flight and headed toward the Provo Airport, but didn't make it. Instead, the pilot landed on the shore, in between the water and a neighborhood in Vineyard.
Audio of air traffic control radio communications below:
There was a pilot and one passenger on board, and the sheriff's office said neither of them was injured. However, the plane itself sustained some damage, with photos showing one wing partially crumpled and the landing gear flattened out between the ground and the aircraft body. The UCSO said it hit a tree stump while landing.
The FAA will investigate the crash.
