Small plane carrying El Paso-area residents makes emergency landing at Lake Mead beach
A small plane that lost power made an emergency landing on a Lake Mead beach near Las Vegas, causing minor injuries to some women celebrating the weekend’s popular electric music festival.
Authorities said the Piper Saratoga left North Las Vegas Airport around 4:40 a.m. Monday and was headed to El Paso, Texas. Around 5 a.m., the plane landed on a beach about 3 miles northeast of Hoover Dam, or about 30 miles southeast of the airport.
The man piloting was not hurt, but at least two women in a group from the El Paso area suffered minor injuries. None was hospitalized.
The passengers told the National Park Service that the engine stopped running over the mountains near the eastern side of the Boulder Basin. The pilot circled back toward Boulder City to avoid the mountains and water before gliding onto Boulder Beach and landing between two portable restrooms.
The facilities weren’t damaged, but the Federal Aviation Administration said the downed plane’s left elevator, left wing and landing gear were damaged.
The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board were investigating.
A portion of the beach was closed temporarily for the investigation and to remove the plane.
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.
