Had Been Flying A Skycraft SD1 Experimental Airplane

A sergeant with the Utah County Sheriff's Department was fatally injured Friday when the Skycraft SD1 experimental plane he was flying went down near Spanish Fork, UT.

The pilot was 40-year-old Jay Dee Lessley. The online news site UtahVally360 reports that Lessley was an experienced pilot who had flown for several years. He had paid for his flying lessons himself, and occasionally flew SAR missions as a pilot for the Sheriff's Department. The Standard-Examiner newspaper reports that Lessley had also been a flight instructor.

The Deseret News reports that the flight had been an airworthiness flight prior to the airplane’s certification by the FAA. Witnesses said the plane "nose-dived" into the ground shortly after takeoff from Spanish Fork Airport.

Lessley was off-duty at the time of the accident. In a statement, the Utah County Sheriff’s Office said, “The Utah County Sheriff’s Office would like to thank many of the law enforcement agencies in Utah County for their offers of assistance while employees work through the tragedy of this loss. We also express our heartfelt condolences and best wishes to the family of Sergeant Lessley.”

He is survived by a wife and 15-year-old daughter.

(Photo of Lessley provided by the Utah County Sheriff's Office)

FMI: www.ntsb.gov