An Airplane Crashed On Highway 64 Friday Between Tusayan And The Grand Canyon

A single-engine aircraft crashed on Highway 64 between Tusayan and the south entrance of the Grand Canyon Friday. Coconino County Sheriff’s officials say the plane went down and flipped over at around 10:56 a.m. and blocked traffic coming in and out of the national park. The pilot, 24-year-old Andrew Dutzy, is an employee of Paragon Skydiving located at the Grand Canyon Airport. He was treated at the scene and was flown to Flagstaff Medical Center for neck and back injuries. Investigators say Dutzy was returning to the airport when he made a left turn to start his approach to the airport when the engine died. Dutzy couldn’t restart the engine and attempted to land on the highway. While landing the right wing of the plane hit a light pole, causing him to crash and flip over. No other vehicles or people were involved in the accident. The crash is under investigation.