WEST JORDAN, Utah — Bangerter Highway in South Jordan is back to normal Wednesday after a small plane emergency landed Tuesday evening during rush hour traffic. Thankfully no one was injured and the plane and highway are not damaged.
“To know that he made it and is uninjured, it’s always a great feeling,” said Cole Johnson with Utah Helicopter and Platinum Aviation.
The Phoenix plane was on in its way to Ogden when it experienced an engine malfunction. It redirected to the South Valley Regional Airport but didn’t make it.
Neighborhoods surrounding the airport have a history of experiencing emergency landings and crashes.
In September, a small plane crashed into the West Jordan soccer fields. In 2017, another plane hit a power line and went down near New Bingham Highway and Airport Road.
Three years ago, a Piper PA-32 flew into a home on New Castle Road, killing two adults and a nine-month-old girl.
“Oh my god, It’s so weird and scary,” said Isela Zapata, who lives in that home now.
Zapata has only lived in the place for eight months but she thinks about the crash all the time.
“Sometimes I think, ‘Oh my god, one more time.’ My husband says, ‘No, everything is OK,’” she said.
The South Valley Regional Airport is unique in that it’s centralized and surrounded on all sides by neighborhoods and busy streets.
“As a new pilot, at first it is something to get used to, being in the urban environment,” said Johnson. “But from the first day, day one, you’re trained to adapt to situations where things can arise.”
Johnson said roads are helpful if something goes wrong for a pilot, and things can go wrong at any airport, not just West Jordan. He said it’s a good location for beginner pilots who want to stay away from the busier runways.
“Those are all helping out to stay local rather they go to the giant Salt Lake International where you have more traffic, more problems and things like that,” he said.
The Salt Lake City Department of Airports has a master plan to extend the airport’s runway and add more hangars. The department is still accepting community feedback. For more information or to share your opinions, click here.
