Four dead after flight leaves Santa Rosa, crashes in Arizona desert

<p>The pilot of a small airplane that left Santa Rosa on Wednesday before crashing into the Arizona desert killing all four people aboard was ill and had vomited between Santa Rosa and Holbrook, Ariz., according to the Navajo County Sheriff’s Department.</p><p>The twin-engine Beachcraft, registered to a Texas resident, had flown from Santa Rosa to the northeastern Arizona town of Holbrook for refueling and was headed to Lago Vista, Texas, which is outside of Austin, said Ian Gregor of the Federal Aviation Administration.</p><p>The remains of the one woman and three men aboard the plane had not been identified late Wednesday.</p><p>“Identification will have to be probably DNA,” said Commander Bob Sutton of the Navajo County Sheriff’s Department. </p><p>The bodies were “burned completely,” he said.</p><p>The pilot apparently told people at the airport that he had vomited on the flight from Santa Rosa and had lain down while the plane was refueled, Sutton said.</p><p>“The only thing we know for sure is the pilot was sick,” he said. “(He) definitely was not well.”</p><p>The plane, fully loaded with fuel, crashed on takeoff at about 5p.m. and caught fire on impact about a quarter mile from the airport. </p><p>An eyewitness said the plane lifted off, turned to the right and then made a left-hand turn before crashing into the desert dotted with sage brush, Sutton said.</p><p>“He was still headed east,” he said. “The only thing left of the plane is the tail section.”</p><p>People at the airport talked with members of the party Tuesday when they stopped at Holbrook to take on fuel before flying north to Santa Rosa, Sutton said.</p><p>They told people that they were from Texas but it was unclear why they were traveling to Santa Rosa, he said.</p><p>The FAA said the names and hometowns of the victims were not immediately known, and Gregor did not provide the name of the owner of the plane.</p><p>Sutton said the pilot could be identified today with the help of records kept during the refueling.</p><p>The FAA and the National Transportation Safety Board will investigate the crash and are expected to arrive in Holbrook this morning.</p><p>Staff Writer Kerry Benefield can be reached at 526-8671 or kerry.benefield@pressdemocrat</p><p>.com</p>