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ST. GEORGE, Utah (AP) -- Authorities continue to investigate the cause of small plane crash that killed two Arizona men in a remote corner of Washington County and sparked a brush fire.
The crash occurred in a remote northeast corner of the county, the Washington County sheriff's office said. County officials were notified of the crash by the Utah Wing of the Civil Air Patrol, which went looking for the plane when it didn't land on schedule at the Colorado City., Ariz., airport Friday night.
Carrying only the pilot and one passenger, the Piper PA-28R-200, was en route from Bountiful, Utah.
The sheriff's office did not immediately release the names of those killed.
Colorado City Airport manager Ladell Bistline, however, identified the men to The Associated Press as brothers Benjamin and James Timpson of Centennial Park, Ariz.
Benjamin Timpson, 29, owned the plane and used it for weekly business trips to Salt Lake City. He said the Timpson's were expected about 8:40 p.m. Friday.
Benjamin Timpson called his wife about an hour earlier while crossing over Fillmore to tell her when to expect him, Bistline said. "That was the last communication from the plane that I know of," said Bistline.
Centennial Park is a close-knit religious community of about 1,000 located about 1 miles east of Colorado City. The crash will take a toll on families there, Timpson said.
"It's quite a blow," said Timpson. "It makes you humble, thinking about it."
Also called by air patrol officers, Timpson said the crash site is about 30 miles north of the airport.
National Transportation Safety Board investigators will determine the cause of the crash.
A small brush fire triggered when the plane went down initially slowed search and rescue efforts, the sheriff's office said.
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(Copyright 2007 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
