Press Release

Dec 13 Update:

The Grand County Sheriff’s Office has released the name of the pilot that was killed in the airplane crash yesterday, December 12, 2016 near the Canyonlands Airport.   The pilot has been identified as Donald Kim Ruble, Age 65, of Moab, Utah.  Ruble was the pilot of the 2015 Quest Kodiak 100 Single Engine Airplane owned by Lease Air LLC of Moab, Utah that hit a high transmission power line approximately one mile southwest of the Canyonlands Airport.  Investigators from both the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are on site today investigating the cause of the crash. 

Aircraft Crash

Moab, Utah, December 12, 2016:  A single engine airplane crash occurred this morning at approximately one mile south and west of the Canyonlands Airport (CYN) at 5:48 AM.  The aircraft is believed to be a Quest Kidiak100 single engine airplane operated by Red Tail Aviation.  

Red Tail contracts with UPS to haul next day freight from the Salt Lake area to various communities in Utah. The plane hit a high power electric transmission line owned by Rocky Mountain Power.  The plane crashed near the power line, caught on fire immediately and the pilot perished in the accident.  

The pilot, who name has not been released at the time of this Press Release, is believed to be an older male.  His body has been transported the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office in Salt Lake City. 

Weather at the time of the accidents was report to be 32 degrees, light winds and partly cloudy.  

Grand County Sheriff’s Office, Grand County Emergency Management, Grand County EMS, Moab Valley Fire District, Utah Highway Patrol, Bureau of Land Management Rangers as well as personnel from the Canyonlands Airport all responded to the scene located which is about 20 miles north of Moab.  

A 911 call was received by the Grand County Sheriff’s Dispatch from a traveler who saw the incident.  

The airport continued normal operations after clearance by the Airport officials.  Representatives from the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are expected to be on site this afternoon or tomorrow to begin their investigations.  Crews from Rocky Mountain Power were also on site making need repairs to their transmission system.  

The name of the deceased will be released when information is received back from the Utah Medical Examiner’s Office.

Photo Credit Jim Mattingly KSL-TV