By Myrna Trauntvein
Times-News Correspondent
Two people received minor injuries when the aircraft they
were flying was forced to land on Interstate-15 just north
of Mona on Thursday.
Kristopher Agee, 26, the pilot from Tempee, Arizona, and
the co-pilot, Lisa Bonavita, 21, Phoenix, Arizona, were
taken by East Juab County Ambulance to Central Valley
Medical Center in Nephi where they were both treated and
released.
Bonavita received facial injuries when the windshield of
the aircraft broke in the accident.
"We received the call at 12:20 p.m. on Thursday," said
David Carter, Juab County Sheriff. "We had received reports,
earlier, prior to the accident, that an airplane was flying
too low."
Because of the low altitude the plane was flying at, said
Carter, the aircraft struck power lines in the area and was
forced to land on the freeway. The pilot, Agee, was able to
control the plane enough to land it on the northbound lane
of the freeway headed north, with traffic.
The couple were in the process of shuttling the aircraft
north for a buyer who had purchased the plane and was having
it flown to him.
"Luckily, the plane was going in the same direction as
the other traffic when it landed and no one was injured in
any of the vehicles traveling on the freeway at the time,"
said Carter.
Some witnesses to the accident stopped and helped push
the airplane to the side of the freeway so that one lane of
traffic could remain open.
Responding law enforcement officers were then able to
push the craft to the barrow pit at the edge of the freeway
so that traffic could continue.
The aircraft did suffer damage in the accident, said
Carter, and was dismantled at the site and was loaded onto a
tractor-trailer truck and was hauled away.
"The pilot and co-pilot offered no explanation as to why
they were flying so low in the first place," said
Carter.
Carter said he, Nephi City Police Chief Chad Brough, and
Utah Highway Patrol officers, Sgt. Doug Rawlinson, Charlie
Wilson and Nathan Lindsey all responded to the scene as soon
as the call was received.
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