Two dead after plane crash near Nephi Municipal Airport

NEPHI — Two men are dead after they crashed their plane in an alfalfa field west of Nephi Thursday afternoon.

The plane went down about 4:30 p.m.,west of highway 132 and north of Nephi Municipal Airport. The identities of the men were not released, pending notification of family.

Reid Jarret, a resident of Nephi, witnessed the crash. He said by the time he could run to the plane, it was already engulfed in flames.

"Really, really, hard gust of wind was blowing right then and a storm was coming in and the plane just went up and turned and came straight and hit," he said. "I am sure nobody survived past the point of impact.

"When you see a plane fall out of the skyline that really leaves an impression on you. The poor guys."

It was not known if the plane was taking off or landing. But eyewitnesses said the plane, a small single engine Alarus 235, was trying to return to the airport to land when it crashed in the field, Sheriff Alden Orme of the Juab County Sheriff's Office said.

"It's a tragic accident, very sad. Our thoughts and prayers go out to the families," Orme said.

There was a thunderstorm in the area, but it is not known if it contributed to the crash.