This is an archived article that was published on sltrib.com in 2016, and information in the article may be outdated. It is provided only for personal research purposes and may not be reprinted.
Two people reportedly were killed when an airplane went down in Utah County late Monday morning.
Utah County Sheriff's Sgt. Spencer Cannon said the two-engine Cessna Citation 525 apparently crashed between 9:30 and 10 a.m. near Cedar Fort, just east of State Road 73.
"Witnesses reported hearing a loud boom and seeing an airplane, on fire and coming apart, falling to the ground," according to a sheriff's office news release. Cannon added that a witness said the explosion shook the windows of his business.
Two fatalities were confirmed: Donald L. Baker, 59, and Dawn Elizabeth Hunter, 55, both from Tucson, Ariz. The married couple was returning home from a conference in Park City.
The Federal Aviation Administration was investigating the plane's point of origin and destination, as well as what caused it to crash. There is evidence suggesting that the plane had "a significant fire" before crashing, Cannon said.
"It appears [Baker] encountered some kind of mechanical problems and may have been attempting to return to Salt Lake City," according to the news release.
Cannon said that snow and fog in the crash area made it difficult at first for emergency responders to find the wreckage, which was spread over about a mile of terrain. Volunteers were searching the debris field on Monday afternoon for any items from the plane, "or other evidence that might be related to the crash," according to the news release.
Reporter Michael McFall contributed to this story.
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