Pilot and His 9-Month-Old Child Among Passengers Killed After Small Plane Crashes in Utah Backyard

A small plane carrying six people crashed into a backyard of a suburban Utah neighborhood over the weekend, killing three, according to several reports.

On Saturday afternoon, a Piper PA-32 aircraft crashed into the backyards of two homes in West Jordan, a city located about 15 miles south of Salt Lake City, a spokeswoman for the West Jordan Police Department, told The New York Times. The crash also damaged three other homes.

Authorities identified the three victims as the pilot, Lee Wyckoff, 43, his 9-month-old child Coral Wyckoff, and Milda Shibonis, 36.

Four others were injured, police said, including the deceased pilot's wife, Rebecca Wyckoff, 36, who is in critical condition and Cody Mitchell, 2, who was critically burned on the arms and legs.

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Shibonis' 12-year-old daughter, Veda Sheperd, was treated for injuries and released. Mary Quintana, 72, was reportedly sitting on her deck at the time of the crash and was also critically injured.

It is still unclear what caused the plane to go down. Authorities say the group took off from South Valley Regional Airport in Salt Lake City, about five miles from the crash site.

The 911 call was made at around 1:40 p.m. local time by 68-year-old Terry Robinson, who heard the crash and saw the fiery aftermath.

“It’s scary. We’ve been in the neighborhood for a long time, so we know a lot of people," Robinson told the Times. "It was red, hot. You could see the fire go up in the air and then it was just black smoke."

"This community came together quite well to try to help get people out of the homes and out of the plane," Battalion Chief Darin Montgomery of the West Jordan Fire Department told the Times. "It was a joint effort. The calls came in very quickly regarding the crash."

Both the FAA and National Transportation Safety Board are currently investigating the crash.

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