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A family with Utah ties died Sunday in a plane crash in Idaho.
Randy Whittle was taking off in his small plane with his family from Burley, Idaho, for a flight to Provo when the plane crashed about 2 p.m. near the Burley airport, said the pilot's brother, Dave Whittle, of Springville.
The Whittle family, of Claremont, Calif., was en route to Provo to attend Education Week at Brigham Young University after visiting Randy Whittle's parents in Burley, Dave Whittle said. Randy Whittle, his wife, Vicki, and his teenage children, MacLean and Brittany, died in the crash.
"My parents were at the airport and saw the crash," said Dave Whittle. The parents were hospitalized for emotional trauma after rushing to the crash site to find only wreckage and smoke, Dave Whittle said.
The plane was so badly damaged that authorities could not immediately determine what type of aircraft it is, federal transportation safety officials said.
The youngest passenger, Brittany Whittle, had planned to drive to Provo with an aunt but decided at the last minute to join her brother and parents on the plane, Dave Whittle said.
Randy Whittle was a financial adviser and entrepreneur who was "a fun-loving kid," Dave Whittle said. Randy Whittle had been piloting for about five years, his brother estimated.
Vicki Whittle was a homemaker whose mother lives in West Jordan, Dave Whittle said.
"Vicki was just a great lady, and the kids were so much fun to be around," Dave Whittle said.
Investigators had not determined the cause of the crash as of Monday.
The Associated Press contributed to this report.