Utah-based racing pilot killed in plane crash near West Jordan airport

The pilot killed in a small plane crash near South Valley Regional Airport on Wednesday has been identified as Creighton King in several social media posts.

Police have still not officially identified the pilot as King, the owner of the small plane that was used for racing for more than a decade. He had been testing the plane ahead of an upcoming race, according to a post on a public Facebook group dedicated to the plane.

West Jordan police detective Alondra Zavala said the plane crashed on Copper Hills Parkway between Airport Road and 7800 South. Roads in the area were initially closed for the investigation.

Federal Aviation Administration officials put out a statement saying, "a single-engine Cassutt crashed near South Valley Regional Airport in West Jordan, Utah, around 12 p.m. local time on Wednesday, Aug. 23. Only the pilot was on board."

The plane, a Cassutt 111M, is believed to be owned by Creighton King, of Salt Lake City. He referred to the plane as "Last Lap Player" in social media posts referencing an upcoming plane race in Nevada, in which another pilot was going to participate.

A bystander said he came across the crash shortly after it occurred and attempted life-saving measures before police arrived.

"I noticed the plane crash right there in the middle of the road with the gentleman laying in the middle of the road," Jeremy Lowe told KSL.com. "When I got through the intersection, myself and another lady just took off and started CPR and trying to breathe for him to keep him alive."

Lowe said he had been on his lunch break and just happened to come across the scene. He said the pilot was unconscious when he found him and didn't have much of a pulse.

Another witness said he saw the "horrific crash" while driving along Copper Hills Parkway.

"I was driving east and I saw it take off from the airport," the witness, who asked to remain anonymous, told KSL.com in an email. "Shortly after take-off the plane banked erratically and it looked like he tried to turn around back to the airport but was way too low. He managed to get the plane turned around back toward the airport runway but was too low/fast, flying erratically and slammed into the road pretty hard."

The witness said he also ran to help the pilot, who had been thrown clear of the plane into the road.

Officials haven't yet released details of what caused the plane to crash, as an investigation is still ongoing.

Another plane crashed in Utah County at 8:40 a.m. Wednesday at the south end of Cedar Valley near Allens Ranch Road. Utah County Sheriff's Office said there were two occupants but no reported injuries in the crash.

Sgt. Spencer Cannon said the single-engine Diamond Aircraft landed in a field and the Federal Aviation Administration is investigating the incident.

The sheriff's office said on Facebook the instructor pilot and student flying the airplane were practicing engine failure drills when they had an actual engine failure and lost power. The plane received minor damage in the incident.

This story will be updated.

Correction: An earlier version said the plane crashed on Airport Road. The crash occurred on Copper Hills Parkway between Airport Road and 7800 South.