Deaths of 10 stun Cedar City

Published: Sunday, Aug. 24, 2008 12:59 a.m. MDT
 |  E-MAIL | PRINT | FONT + - 
MOAB — It was a somber scene Saturday as investigators sorted through what little was left of a plane that crashed here, killing 10 Cedar City residents.

The plane's pilot, as well as nine employees of the Red Canyon Aesthetics and Medical Spa dermatology clinic, were killed Friday night shortly after the plane took off from Canyonlands Field Airport northwest of Moab.

"The plane was completely engulfed in flames," said Grand County Sheriff James Nyland.

At the crash sight Saturday, officials from the state medical examiner's office had the grim task of removing the burned bodies from the wreckage. One by one, the bodies were taken from the debris, wrapped in plastic, put into red body bags, loaded onto the back of a six-wheel ATV and taken to a truck at the top of a hill above the crash site. From there, the bodies were to be transported to the medical examiner's office.

The last body was removed from the site a little after 3 p.m. The wreckage and the bodies were burned so badly that it was impossible to those not professionally trained to distinguish one from the other. The National Transportation Safety Board, the lead agency in the investigation, estimated its investigators, along with those from the Federal Aviation Administration, would be at the crash site for three to five days, said NTSB accident investigator Josh Cawthra.

Story continues below

Also expected to be at the scene of the crash Saturday were representatives from Hawker Beechcraft, which made the plane, and Pratt & Whitney, which made its engines.

NTSB officials said they think a preliminary report on the crash will come out within the next five to 10 days. As of Saturday afternoon, they would not speculate on the possible cause of the incident.

The plane was used as part of a time-share between the dermatology clinic and the Leavitt Group, according to Dane Leavitt, the company's chief executive officer.

Those killed were pilot David White; Dr. Lansing Ellsworth, the clinic director; David Goddard, a medical assistant; Mandy Johnson; Marcie Tillery, 29; Valerie Imlay, 52; Keith Shumway, 29; Dallin Ellsworth, 23; Camie Vigil, 25; and Cecilee Goddard, 31.

Once a month, Dr. Ellsworth, a dermatologist, traveled to Moab to see as many patients as he could in a day. They traveled to Moab Friday to provide cancer screening and treatment to local residents.

Leavitt, whose brother is Mike Leavitt, former Utah governor and the U.S. secretary of Health and Human Services, said the plane was transporting half of Dr. Ellsworth's dermatology staff. According to Leavitt, half of the clinic operated in a medical office, with the other half traveling on a daily basis to outlying communities that would otherwise be unable to receive their services.

Recent comments

Speechless. Life is too short.

RIP | Aug. 24, 2008 at 2:46 a.m.

I"m glad Mandy's parents were able to share the best day of her life...

kelly | Aug. 24, 2008 at 1:42 a.m.

Image
Kristin Murphy, Deseret News

A Hawker Beechcraft representative and another worker investigate the fiery airplane crash that killed the pilot and nine passengers Friday near Moab.

previousnext

Latest comments

For those of you who are advocating that the Jazz let Milsap walk cause the...

Go get Drew Gooden who is unrestricted, and will be a better fit for a backup...

Longing for world championships to start. Gay/Bolt/Powell matchup will be the...

The contract offered to Milsap is similar to the original one the Jazz gave...

Millard County van rollover kills boy, injures 7

ate carol/kuya rey....We are really sad of what happened...but one thing for...

Hate to break it to ya, Blauch, but every time Memo leaves the floor Boozer...

The Gospel of Jesus Christ has no room for these silly myths. This is the...

paul is a good player but i say see ya get rid of loozer and ak i would...

My family is devastated! We know the Pratts personally and have loved their...

I think all of us grew up hearing these myths. I'm glad Mckay Copins had the...

Advertisements