This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2013, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.

A preliminary report released this week in a fatal January plane crash near Boulder keeps in line with initial reports that the small plane struck a power line before crashing and killing its two occupants.

Pilot Paul Clark Bowmar, 56, and passenger Nicholas Wolfrom Reznick, 53, died on Jan. 19 when Bowmar's Cessna 140 went down after taking off from Escalante. Both men were Escalante residents and were on a personal flight that had no recorded flight plan.

A report released on Monday by the National Transportation Safety Board states that a witness near the accident site saw the plane strike power lines near State Road 12 before it crashed. The report also cites a power company official who told investigators that the lines between Boulder and Escalante were interrupted at the same time the plane went down.

When the official responded to the site, he saw that a portion of the airplane's wing was on the highway and that the two power poles were damaged with their attached lines lying on the ground. The official estimated the point of impact to be about 100 feet above the ground.

The report states that it was about 35 degrees and that weather conditions were clear. The preliminary report gave no official ruling on the cause or why the plane was flying so low before it crashed.

A more complete probable cause report will be released in the coming months.

Twitter: @KimballBennion