The Bureau of Land Management (BLM) is investigating reports of a bush plane landing on public lands near Castle Valley.
A person living in Castle Valley says aircraft were “having fun” on April 21, but said one landed on top of Parriott Mesa and was stranded overnight until it was towed the following morning by a helicopter. The reason for the plane’s landing is unknown.
The mesa is managed by the BLM. The BLM did not authorize any planes to land on the mesa with film or special recreation permits and the incident is being investigated, said Lisa Bryant, a spokesperson at the BLM in Moab.
The Grand County Sheriff’s Office Dispatch said it has not received any reports about the plane’s landing.
Canyonlands Field Airport Director Judd Hill said he has not received any information about the incident. Hill said aircraft can fly over Parriott Mesa and Castle Valley as permitted by federal law.
Grand County Road Supervisor Bill Jackson said there is not a road that leads to the top of Parriott Mesa. (An assistant road supervisor had previously said there is a two-tire dirt track that leads to the top of the mesa.)
A spokesperson at the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) field office in Denver, Colorado, said it has no information about the incident.
Editor’s note: This article was updated on April 24 to say that there is not a road that leads to the top of Parriott Mesa.
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