Show Plane crashes burns 3 Vernal men injured injure At Al Saturday morning March 12 the fire department r received a call that a plane was down and burning By lly the time they arrived d at 2090 South Vernal Avenue the plane was enveloped in flames names Lawrence Craig Larry Caldwell Caidwell of vice president of Hiko Bell Mining and Oil Co i Honald Ronald Ames officer at Zion Zions First National Bank Dank and John Gardiner pilot Aviation had boarded the aircraft for a business night flight to Salt Lake City ACCORDING to the pilot they had reached an altitude of approximately feet II in in- ina a aright aright right turn heading for Salt Lake City when the engine lost power A lot of ot things can go through a guys guy's mind at a time like that said Jo John n but all I l Iwas Iwas was interested in was getting down safe and walking away I 1 tried to regain power John continued and when I could not I planned to set it down in a field just east of So Vernal Avenue As we came d down wn the right wing tip hooked the ground and pulled the plane at a right angle into a small knoll fracturing the gas tank on iii df 4 1 11 r A Jo w r rs s a ae e OF THE PLANE CRASH Saturday morning In which three Vernal men were In In- In Said Larry Caldwell When I saw those blackened seat frames I sure was glad I wasn't in one onel the tIle right side According to Sheriff Stewarts Stewart's measurements we skidded feet right to the crest of that knoll That's when the fireworks started The whole right side burst into flames Ron was sitting on my right Larry was in the back backseat backseat backseat seat on the left Larry was able to move and crawled out by himself but I could see that Ron was unconscious I figured I had hada a little time the fire was about four feet from the cabin but by bythe bythe bythe the time I had unbuckled Rons Ron's seat belt and pulled him out the flames were licking ov over er the top of the cabin Mr Caldwell said he was lying in a ditch close to to the plane when John told him they had tb get out of there They were about 20 feet away when the left side caught fire The fuel tank lank did not explode and neither did an oxygen tank located between the seats The fire however followed the trail of high octane fuel back to the point of impact The four sea seater sealer ter single engine aircraft owned by Aviation and valued at was reduced to blackened rubble TilE THE THREE MEN were treated at the Uintah County Hospital Mr Caldwell and Mr Ames were sent by ambulance to Salt Lake City with probable back injuries Mr Ames and Mr Gardiner both were treated for facial cuts and bruises Gardiner was released I spoke with Ron and Larry on Monday morning at the Holy HolyCross HolyCross HolyCross Cross Hospital and was relieved to find that their injuries were not as serious as had been predicted stated Gardiner They are expected to recover fully from compressed spinal fractures We would like to thank the Fire Department City Police Sheriffs Sheriff's office and the ambulance ambulance ambulance am am- for their prompt assistance in aiding us at the scene of the accident said John We would also like to thank our many friends who called or stopped by to express their concern |