Two injured when plane makes emergency landing at Lake Mead

By Las Vegas Sun Staff (contact)

Published Monday, June 22, 2015 | 7:45 a.m.

Updated Monday, June 22, 2015 | 2:07 p.m.

Two people suffered minor injures when the pilot of a small plane reported losing engine power and made an emergency landing today at Lake Mead National Recreation Area, authorities said.

The plane was reported down at 5:18 a.m. near Boulder Beach, about 3 miles northeast of Hoover Dam, officials said. It had taken off shortly before 5 a.m. from the North Las Vegas Airport and was en route to El Paso, Texas, officials said.

Besides the pilot, three women who had been visiting Las Vegas for the weekend from El Paso were on board, according to the National Park Service.

Two of the women were treated for minor injuries, but nobody was taken to the hospital, the Park Service reported. Officials earlier reported that all four suffered minor injuries.

Christie Vanover, a Park Service spokeswoman, said the passengers were in town for the festivities surrounding the Electric Daisy Carnival, although they did not attend the actual event.

According to the passengers, the plane’s engine stopped running over the mountains along the eastern side of the Boulder Basin, the Park Service said.

The passengers reported that the pilot circled back toward Boulder City to avoid landing in the mountains or on the water, and the plane glided to a landing on Boulder Beach, the Park Service said.

The plane landed between two portable bathrooms; no facilities were damaged, and it didn’t appear there were any leaks from the aircraft, Park Service officials said.

The aircraft’s left elevator, left wing and landing gear were damaged, Federal Aviation Administration spokesman Ian Gregor said.

There were no signs of fire, according to the Clark County Fire Department.

The FAA and National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the incident, Gregor said.

The names of those on board were not released.

The plane involved was a single-engine Piper Saratoga, officials said.

A portion of the beach was temporarily closed until the aircraft could be removed, according to the Park Service.

National Park Service rangers, the Clark County Fire Department, Metro Police, the Federal Aviation Administration and Community Ambulance responded.