Plane crash results in four deaths

Courtesy of Gila County Sheriff’s Department

A small plane traveling from Scottsdale to Colorado never made it to its destination, prompting a search that located the downed plane northwest of Washington Park in Gila County. Washington Park is located in the mountainous region east of Pine. 

On Jan. 2 at about 9:48 p.m., the Gila County Sheriff’s Department received a call from the Scottsdale Police that the plane, which had four people on board, hadn’t reached its destination on schedule in Telluride, Colo. One of the cell phones was pinged, and the Sheriff’s Office, along with the Arizona Department of Public Safety Ranger helicopter and the Air Force Civil Air Patrol, located the plane near Washington Park.

Three people were found dead, and deputies just located the fourth deceased passenger. Identities will be released once notifications to the families have been made.

The investigation is ongoing, and more information will be released as it becomes available.  Sheriff J. Adam Shepherd thanked the Arizona Department of Public Safety and the Civil Air Patrol for their coordinating response.

Aimee Staten

Aimee Staten has worn several hats over the last few years, but she recently put on one of her more familiar caps after four years of working in nonprofits: That of a journalist. She has 14 years of experience in the news business as a reporter with eight of those years as the managing editor of the Eastern Arizona Courier.