Pilot crashes small plane in southern Utah after buying it from Nevada, officials say

WASHINGTON COUNTY, Utah — Officials are trying to piece together a bizarre plane crash in southern Utah Sunday afternoon.

According to Washington County officials, the small plane went down at approximately 4:30 p.m. just west of Flat Top Mountain South in Washington County.

The pilot told officials that he had recently bought the plane from Las Vegas, Nevada, and crashed shortly later in a field.

However, officials said the travel log reports the plane traveling from Las Vegas to Mona, Utah, and circled back to Las Vegas before going off the radar for about 3 hours before the crash.

Officials said the pilot walked away from the crash and disappeared from first responders until they found him.

Officials said the pilot had a crash alert system on his smartwatch, which notified local dispatchers, who called him to ask about his status. He told them that he was in an ATV accident and didn’t need any help.

Because of the smartwatch alert, another team of first responders arrived on the scene looking for an ATV accident.

The Washington County officials said the pilot was not harmed in the crash and refused medical attention. Officials are looking into the cause of the crash.

It’s unknown if this crash is connected to a reported plane crash in Dagget County that search and rescue teams couldn’t find.