Two killed in small plane crash in Arizona

Authorities confirmed that a small plane crashed in Arizona.

Two men were killed in the tragic plane crash.

The aircraft went down near an airport.

A plane crash claims two victims in Arizona. Authorities confirmed that two men died when the plane they were traveling in crashed near an airport in the town of Buckeye in Maricopa County, Arizona, on Saturday, June 18.

Daniel Keen, 56, and Emmanuel Flores, 32, died after the plane they were traveling in went down near Buckeye Municipal Airport around 7 a.m. Saturday, the Buckeye Police Department said, according to Fox News.

Two were killed in small plane crash

Buckeye is located about 35 miles west of Phoenix, the capital of Arizona, according to Fox News, which also detailed that when the officials initially went to the scene of the tragedy, Daniel Keen was pronounced dead, while Emmanuel Flores was transported to the hospital in critical condition.

Emmanuel Flores later died of injuries sustained when the plane crashed, authorities were quoted by Fox News as saying. Gary Boggs, the owner of Northwest Sky Sports, who said he witnessed the crash, has worked at the municipal airport «for years» and «has never seen anything like this,» he told Fox 10.

«I’ve never seen anything like this»

“I’ve never seen a fatality, and I’ve been here several years, I’ve never seen anything like this,” Gary Bogg said, according to Fox 10. “It’s always sad to see a fatality. Aviation is really very safe, but it does not forgive mistakes,» added the witness.

Gary Boggs also told the outlet that he observed the aircraft on fire before it ended up crashing. “A plane flies (in) the leeward lane and then turns, lines up with the runway, usually that’s closer to the freeway. These guys were well inside the freeway, they weren’t aligned with the runway,” he commented.

Authorities investigate the accident

The National Transportation Safety Board identified the passenger plane that crashed as a Beech E35. And authorities noted that the Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board (NTSB) are investigating the accident in Arizona.

Earlier this month, a single-engine Cessna 208B plane crashed near California’s Oceanside airport, killing one woman and injuring another person. That aircraft plummeted into a dirt field after it attempted to land, authorities said in a statement at the time.