Plane crashes at airport

A small aircraft crashed while attempting to take off from the Southwest Wyoming Regional Airport Monday afternoon.

The crash occurred at about 2:30 p.m., Monday after a single-engine Belanca Decathlon had refueled and was taking off during a cross-country flight. Upon takeoff, the plane crashed and came to a rest on Taxiway Delta. The aircraft’s single occupant received medical treatment at the scene by Sweetwater Medics.

The airport remained operational throughout the incident, with operations not being impacted.

Devon Brubaker, director of the airport, said the lowered traffic counts from the COVID-19 pandemic resulted in only a few other aircraft operating at the time of the crash. Brubaker also said the crash’s location also helped in allowing the airport’s operations to be unaffected.

“Luckily, the incident happened in an area where we could isolate the scene and still allow operations on other parts of the airport,” he said.

The crash is under investigation by the National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration. Both organizations gave authorization to clear the scene at 4 p.m., Monday. A tow truck was used to remove the aircraft to a field, where it will remain until the owner and their insurance company decide what to do. The scene was cleaned up by about 7 p.m.

While the airport’s fire department responded to the crash, a mutual aid agreement between the airport and the agencies in Rock Springs resulted in the Rock Springs Police Department, Rock Springs Fire Department and Sweetwater Medics responding to the crash.

Brubaker said the last crash near the airport took place during November 2017 when a single-engine Centurion crashed on approach to the airport along Wyoming Highway 370