MAY 19, 2015
LAUGHLIN, Nevada
Details surrounding a
deadly plane crash in Laughlin continued to surface on Monday.
The pilot didn't radio in a distress call before the crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Nicholas Worrel, a spokesperson with the NTSB, says the four-seat Rockwell Commander 114 which was headed for Phoenix crashed and burned on Needles Highway at about 6 p.m. Sunday. The crash happened minutes after takeoff and less than 5 miles southwest of Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport.
One person was killed, and three others were injured. Their identities weren't released, but officials said they escaped the wreckage on their own.
"It was a lot of chaos. The survivors of the crash were able to get themselves away from the crash site and away from the fire area and then we were able to get them out of the brush onto the road for EMTs to take care of them," said Jonathan Brunjes, park ranger.
The crash also sparked a wildfire that has reignited twice since it was first extinguished. During Monday's fire, the flames burned for several hours as black smoke filled the air.
"The ash and stuff is coming into the pool. It's real hazy right now," said David Villareal, resident.
Workers from the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management fought the blaze ravishing parts of Big Ben State Park.
"One of our rangers and Las Vegas Metro were first to arrive to the scene," said Brunjes.
At the end of the day on Monday, the fire at the park was about 90 percent contained. In the meantime, the Big Ben Park is closed, and it could take a while before the park reopnes.
"The park is closed today. It will be closed tomorrow. We won't open the park until everything is 100 percent contained, and the fire is one hundred percent extinguished," said Brunjes.
Sunday's plane crash that sparked a raging wildfire was a first for park rangers and the first disaster of its kind for much of the Laughlin community.
Once the smoke and flames clear out, an investigation into what may have caused the crash will continue.
The pilot didn't radio in a distress call before the crash, according to the National Transportation Safety Board.
Nicholas Worrel, a spokesperson with the NTSB, says the four-seat Rockwell Commander 114 which was headed for Phoenix crashed and burned on Needles Highway at about 6 p.m. Sunday. The crash happened minutes after takeoff and less than 5 miles southwest of Laughlin-Bullhead International Airport.
One person was killed, and three others were injured. Their identities weren't released, but officials said they escaped the wreckage on their own.
"It was a lot of chaos. The survivors of the crash were able to get themselves away from the crash site and away from the fire area and then we were able to get them out of the brush onto the road for EMTs to take care of them," said Jonathan Brunjes, park ranger.
The crash also sparked a wildfire that has reignited twice since it was first extinguished. During Monday's fire, the flames burned for several hours as black smoke filled the air.
"The ash and stuff is coming into the pool. It's real hazy right now," said David Villareal, resident.
Workers from the U.S. Forest Service and the Bureau of Land Management fought the blaze ravishing parts of Big Ben State Park.
"One of our rangers and Las Vegas Metro were first to arrive to the scene," said Brunjes.
At the end of the day on Monday, the fire at the park was about 90 percent contained. In the meantime, the Big Ben Park is closed, and it could take a while before the park reopnes.
"The park is closed today. It will be closed tomorrow. We won't open the park until everything is 100 percent contained, and the fire is one hundred percent extinguished," said Brunjes.
Sunday's plane crash that sparked a raging wildfire was a first for park rangers and the first disaster of its kind for much of the Laughlin community.
Once the smoke and flames clear out, an investigation into what may have caused the crash will continue.