Teenagers steal plane after driving tractor on to airstrip in Utah

Aircraft 'witnessed flying very low' over major road

Two teenagers stole a fixed-wing sports aircraft from an airport in Utah (Uintah County Sheriff's Office)

US police have arrested two teenagers who stole a plane after driving a tractor on to an airport runway.

Authorities in eastern Utah said the boys, aged 14 and 15, were seen “flying very low” over a major road after taking off in the small aircraft from a private airstrip.

The pair stole the plane near the village of Jensen and later landed 13 miles away at a public airport in the city of Vernal.

The teenagers had left a children’s home in the Wasatch Front area earlier this week and had been staying with friends in the Jensen area, said Uintah County Sheriff's Office.

In a statement, the sheriff’s office added: “The teens gained access to a tractor and drove it to the air strip in Jensen, where they stole a fixed-wing, single-engine light sport aircraft.”

The plane “was witnessed flying very low” over the Route 40 highway, which stretches from east to west US, about 30 miles way from the airstrip.

“Based on information obtained by investigators, the teens mentioned flying back towards the Wasatch Front, but decided not to and returned to Vernal where they landed at the airport,” the sheriff’s office said.

Both teens were being held in a youth detention centre in Vernal on multiple charges.

Authorities said an investigation was ongoing.