2nd person in West Jordan plane crash dies

WEST JORDAN — The pilot of an experimental aircraft that crashed into a soccer field shortly after takeoff Tuesday has died from his injuries.

West Jordan police announced Wednesday morning that both the pilot and passenger in the plane had now died.

Killed were the pilot, Jared Despain, 28, from Nephi, and Brent Simmons, 40, of Manti.

Police say the fiberglass, experimental plane had taken off from South Valley Regional Airport at about 1:20 p.m. Witnesses say it struggled to gain altitude and crashed into the West Jordan Soccer Complex at 4400 West and 7800 South.

One of the occupants died before he could be transported to an area hospital, said West Jordan Police Sgt. Drew Sanders. The other man, the pilot of the small plane, was rushed to a hospital in an ambulance in extremely critical condition.

Dan McCullough owns a shop just adjacent to the soccer field where the plane went down. A fellow pilot, McCullough said he often watches planes take off and land, and this one was no different.

But almost immediately, he knew something was wrong.

"It was surreal because I knew it was going to happen," McCullough said. "He did not have full power, he was struggling."

He said the plane even sounded weak causing McCullough to encourage the pilot: "Drop your nose, buddy. Drop your nose."

The pilot attempted to do so, but eventually, when he was about 50 feet above the ground and started to turn, the plane stalled, and the right, lower wing caught the ground. The plane landed cockpit down.

"He didn't have a chance," McCullough said of the pilot once the plane stalled.

McCullough and a few others went to help and could see the two men were in bad shape.

"I was trying to think of what I could do to make it better," McCullough said. "The aviation community is a tight-knit community. No one wants to see anybody get hurt. No one wants to see an airplane go down."

Police and fire officials are investigating the cause of the crash.

The plane is the second to crash near South Valley Regional Airport in less than three weeks, bringing to the forefront ongoing concerns about the airport's safety and future.