CEDAR CITY, Utah — Four people died in a small plane crash outside of Cedar City Saturday evening.

A news release from the Iron County Sheriff’s office said it happened on State road 14 five miles east of Cedar City just before 7 p.m.

Deputies initially responded to a call out for a fire. When deputies arrived they discovered the burning remains of a single-engine airplane the news release said.

Iron County sheriff deputies, Utah Highway Patrol troopers, and Color County Fire personnel responded to the call.

NTSB investigating the 4/23/22 crash of a Diamond DA-40 airplane near Cedar City, Utah.

— NTSB Newsroom (@NTSB_Newsroom) April 24, 2022

 

Authorities identified that pilot Steven Eatchel along with his three passengers, Lindsay Eatchel, Thomas Eatchel, and Danielle Deagostini passed away at the scene.

The small aircraft left Spanish Fork around 2:45 P.M. for Cedar City, then left for a sightseeing tour of Zion National Park around 6:38 PM, according to Iron County Sheriff’s office.

However, a few minutes after take off, communication with the aircraft was lost.

“It appears they tried to come around and come back out from the west,” Iron County Sheriff Ken Carpenter said, “they may have caught a wing on some trees which caused the plane to go into the ground but we don’t know if they were having mechanical problems or the status of the aircraft.”

Utah County Sheriff’s Office said that Steven Eatchel was a deputy for them and will be missed in the department. Steven and his wife, Lindsay Eatchel leave behind 4 children.

Deputy Steve Eatchel, his wife, and two other passengers were killed when the plane Steve was piloting crashed last night east of Cedar City. Steve was a Deputy in Corrections and has been with @UCSO for nearly 12 years. They leave behind 4 children. https://t.co/pLTAhshjeT pic.twitter.com/WTVwzVkbwo

— Utah County Sheriff (@UCSO) April 24, 2022

Gold Cross Ambulance, along with Cedar Fire, and Iron County Search and Rescue responded to the scene to help with the recovery and initial investigation.

The FAA and NTSB will complete the investigation.