Plane crash in Little Cottonwood Canyon leaves one dead, one critically injured

Alta's Albion Basin at sunrise on Tuesday, September 10, 2024. Photo: Alta Webcam

ALTA, Utah — A small aircraft went down in the Albion Basin near Alta Ski Area late Sunday afternoon, leaving one person dead and another seriously hurt, according to the Salt Lake County Sheriff’s Office.

Emergency crews were called to the remote canyon area around 5:20 p.m. Unified Fire Authority and the Alta Town Marshal’s Office reached the crash site, where they confirmed one fatality. The surviving passenger was flown by medical helicopter to a hospital in critical condition.

Fox 13 reported, the aircraft was identified as a Piper Arrow registered to an LLC in Maryland, Federal Aviation Administration records show. Flight-tracking data from FlightAware indicated the plane had been making its way west from Virginia over the past week and a half, with a stop in Nevada before entering Utah airspace.

Air traffic audio captured by LiveATC.net documented the final radio exchange with Salt Lake air controllers as the aircraft approached the valley. Controllers cleared the flight for a frequency change after reporting nearby traffic and ending radar service: “47X, copy … Radar service terminated, squawk VFR and frequency change approved. Have a good day.”

Alta Mayor Roger Bourke expressed condolences Sunday evening. “Our hearts go out to those loved ones of the people who are injured,” he said.

Investigators from both the FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board arrived Monday to begin examining the crash. Authorities said certain sections of Albion Basin will remain off-limits to the public during the investigation and urged people to avoid the area.