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ROY — A 64-year-old man was killed Wednesday afternoon when the small plane he piloted crashed into a residential building near 5000 S. Airport Road, according to authorities.
The man, later identified by police as David Goode, was the only occupant on board and no other injuries were reported in the incident, according to Roy Police Sgt. Matthew Gwynn.
Goode was the founder and president of Ogden-based Goode Ski Technologies, according to police.
Goode left the Woods Cross airport at about 3 p.m. and was scheduled to land at Ogden-Hinckley Airport at 3:11 p.m., which is when witnesses reported the crash occurred, Gwynn said.
The plane's wing hit the rooftop of a townhome near 1817 W. 5075 South before it crashed into a residential parking lot, Gwynn said. The plane did not enter the inside of the townhome.
Police don't know the extent of the damage to the townhomes but Gwynn said there was some melted siding and fire damage to units.
The cause of the crash is unknown and the National Transportation Safety Board was responding to the incident, Gwynn said.
There have been four plane crashes within 1 mile of the area since July 2017, and one emergency landing.
Several witnesses reported seeing a big plume of black smoke shortly after the crash.
Neighbor David Guerrero shot this video of an #explosion minutes after the plane crashed into this neighborhood. #planecrash@KSL5TVpic.twitter.com/qu8jc0EcVz
— Matt Rascon (@MattRasconNews) January 15, 2020
Adam Hensley witnessed the plane in the air before it crashed. He said he was northbound on I-15 at about 5600 South when he saw an orange-and-white plane flying low, about 200-300 feet off the ground.
“I could tell it was really struggling,” Hensley recalled.
He said the plane was banked left and moving forward, but it wasn’t flying straight.
“I could tell that the pilot was really trying to straighten out and balance the plane,” Hensley said.
Hensley followed the plane for about 2 or 3 miles and tried to stay behind it — he thought it would attempt to land on the interstate.
Suddenly, Hensley said he saw the plane pitch sharply left and travel a short distance before nose-diving straight down west of the highway. Hensley then saw an immediate explosion, he said.
While the plane was in the air, Hensley said he didn’t see any smoke.
In a statement released Wednesday evening, Goode Ski Technologies said Goode “touched the lives of thousands.”
“Through his numerous technological advancements in both water skiing and snow skiing, and financial support of countless events and athletes in both sports, Dave touched the lives of thousands of people by helping them, and the sports they love, push the limits of performance,” the statement reads.
Goode is survived by his parents, wife, four children and two granddaughters.
Contributing: Kira Hoffelmeyer, KSL NewsRadio; Matt Rascon, KSL TV