Payson Man’s Children Shocked By Plane Crashed Into His House

PAYSON, Utah – The family of a man suspected of stealing a small plane from the Spanish Fork Airport and crashing into his own home has spoken out.

Inside the home was the man’s wife and a juvenile male. Those two escaped unharmed. Duane Youd’s two children from a previous relationship, weren’t home at the time arrived at the crash site Monday morning.

“I know he’s being portrayed not in a positive light and it’s really hard to hear this because he’s not the person being portrayed,” said Joslyn Yaud, Duane’s 21-year-old daughter. “He was hurting and in a lot of pain.”

Police said Youd and his wife had at least one domestic violence altercation within the past year and then another altercation Sunday night.

“(Laud and his wife) had been drinking,” said Sgt. Noemi Sandoval with the Payson Police department. “They were up American Fork Canyon and he assaulted her and witnesses saw it happening.”

Youd was booked into the Utah County Sheriff’s Office, bailed out and went with a police officer to retrieve some belongings from his Payson home. That’s where his 17-year-old-son, Parker said he spoke with his father for the last time.

“I said, ‘I love you, good luck and I’ll see you tomorrow,’” Parker said. “He told me he loved me too, got in his truck and drove away.”

Police said Youd drove to the Spanish Fork Airport when surveillance video captured him taking off from the runway. The plane was allegedly owned by a company he works for.

The experienced pilot then reportedly eflew east to his home, where he narrowly missed power lines and clipped a neighboring home.

As his children learn more about their fathers last moments, they wanted to focus on his life and not his death.

“He was an amazing man and would do absolutely anything for anyone,” Joslyn Youd said. “I feel very blessed to be able to call him my father.”

“I think about all the things I’m going to miss with him and the things he’s going to miss as I grow older,” Parker Youd said. “I’m just going to miss my dad.”

The FAA was on scene throughout the day, and the NTSB will be taking over the investigation.

They planned to have a preliminary report available in the next five days.

The smell of jet fuel is still strong even after almost 12 hours. You can see where the fuel ran down the street from house. ⁦@KSL5TV⁩ pic.twitter.com/o2W8a7jFIR

— Ashley Kewish (@ashleykewish) August 13, 2018