‘Miraculous’: Plane makes emergency landing in Spanish Fork front yard

SPANISH FORK, Utah (ABC4) — A small plane made an emergency landing in the front yard of a Spanish Fork home on Saturday afternoon after an engine failure, and both occupants walked away unharmed.

“We are just grateful the pilot and passenger are okay, around here there are a lot of houses, power lines, substations, I-15,” Spanish Fork City Public Information Officer Nick Porter said. “It’s kind of miraculous they came to rest before they went into a house.”

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The cause of the engine failure is unknown, but the pilot was able to make a mayday call after hearing the engine sputter before its complete failure, according to officials.

The pilot attempted to direct the plane back to the Spanish Fork Airport but was unable to do so and attempted to land in an open field in order to avoid hitting nearby structures, according to officials. Porter said the plane clipped a power line and skidded through a Spanish Fork field before ending up in the front yard of a nearby home.

“I’m just surprised they didn’t hit any of the power poles or lines, or, luckily, hit into our house,” homeowner Jonathan Morrill said.

Morrill said he was sitting in his home and watching TV when his dogs came into the room and were acting strange.

“I look out my front window and I see the plane on the front yard,” Morrill said. “Then I see all the emergency vehicles there, so I came out and checked it out, and thank God nobody was injured.”

Morrill said it seemed like the occupants of the plane were in shock, but otherwise alright.

Spanish Fork Fire and EMS crews responded to the emergency landing around 2:30 p.m. Both male occupants of the plane were able to get themselves out of the plane unharmed, according to officials.

There is some damage to the wing of the aircraft and some slight oil and fuel spillage, Porter said. Spanish Fork City said damages are estimated at $350,000 and the plane is likely to be a total loss.

The cause of the engine failure is still under investigation, and the investigation will continue after the National Transportation Safety Board clears the airplane to be moved to the Spanish Fork Airport, according to Porter.

Once the aircraft is moved, Porter said crews will clean up the damage.

“I’m just glad everybody’s OK,” Morrill said.

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