UPDATED: 2 men killed when small airplane hits tower, crashes in field near Cedar City

Scene of an airplane crash near 6500 W. 4000 South, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 2, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

CEDAR CITY — A small airplane crashed in a field southwest of Cedar City Sunday morning, killing both men aboard. 

Updated Aug. 2, 3:30 p.m.: Passengers dead, additional information about the crash provided by law enforcement officials.

“This morning about 8:45, we received a phone call that an aircraft was in distress about five miles south of the Cedar City Regional Airport,” Iron County Sheriff’s Lt. Del Schlosser told Cedar City News at the scene of the crash, located at approximately 6500 Vandenberghe Rd. (4000 South), just south of the Lake Quichapa lake bed. 

“Moments later, we received calls that the airplane had gone down and crashed at this location,” Schlosser added.

The aircraft struck “at least some portion” of a 300-foot-tall communications tower, causing the tower to topple to the ground, Schlosser said.

In the sagebrush covered terrain a short distance north of where the tower collapsed, the plane then apparently hit the ground nose first at a sharp angle. 

The two occupants of the aircraft died on impact, Schlosser said, adding that they were both adult males, aged 52 and 63. Their identities have not yet been released pending notification of family members, but Schlosser said neither man was from the Cedar City or Iron County area.

Scene of an airplane crash near 6500 W. 4000 South, Cedar City, Utah, Aug. 2, 2020 | Photo by Jeff Richards, St. George News / Cedar City News

The men had reportedly taken off earlier Sunday morning from another nearby airport in Southern Utah, but it was not the Cedar City airport, Schlosser said.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of both of these men at this time,” he said.

In addition to Iron County Sheriff’s Office, personnel from Cedar City Fire Department, Gold Cross Ambulance and Utah Highway Patrol also responded to the scene.

The National Transportation Safety Board and the Federal Aviation Administration will be investigating the cause of the crash.

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Copyright St. George News, SaintGeorgeUtah.com LLC, 2020, all rights reserved.

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