A Hooper couple was injured after a practice maneuver in an airplane went awry Thursday evening in Wendover, Nevada.
Paul Bowden, 51, was flying a light plane at about 8:20 p.m. at the Wendover Airport, practicing a touch-and-go exercise, in which a pilot lands briefly and takes back off, said Clair Morris, undersheriff with the Elko County Sheriff’s Office.
“During one touch-and-go, one wing touched the ground, which caused them to tumble,” Morris said.
Bowden was transported by medical helicopter to a Salt Lake hospital in critical condition, while the passenger, his wife, Marnie Bowden, was taken by ground ambulance to a Salt Lake hospital.
The Bowdens had rented the plane from Mountain Air Aviation in Fruit Heights, Morris said.
The Elko County Sheriff’s Office responded to the crash because it occurred just west of the state line, Morris said. Wendover Airport’s western boundary abuts the Utah/Nevada stateline.
“This crash was just barely inside of Nevada, just a little bit past the airport,” Morris said.
The National Transit and Safety Board conducted an investigation Friday, he said. Morris said weather was not a factor in the crash.