Three Utah Men Perish In
Weekend Plane Crash, Near Paris, TX

 

by: Bobby McDonald

 

Three men, reported to be from Utah, are dead after a fatal plane crash near Paris, in the Glory Community, on Saturday morning.

Texas DPS troopers say the plane was a Piper Meridian flying out of Salt Lake City, Utah.

One of the first fire fighters on scene says in his 30 years of experience, it's one of the worst planes crashes he had ever seen.

The fuel tank exploded when the plane hit the ground and burst into a giant ball of fire.

 

 

A witness to the plane crash said, "I looked over and it was nose down spinning'. And , it hit the ground and burst into flames."

The plane was reported to have left Cox Field in Paris, headed for an Austin, Texas, destination, but was attempting to turn around and head back to the Paris, Texas, airport.

Killed in the crash were: Michael Endo, age 50, Michael Dale Bradley, age 44, and the plane's pilot, Robert Thompson, age 49, all were employees of Salt Lake, Utah, based Celtic Bank.

The crash was being investigated by the FAA and no cause had been determined.

 

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