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PROVO, Utah (AP/KSL News) -- Three men were killed when their twin-engine plane crashed Thursday evening in a field one mile north of the Provo airport.
All three on board the Cessna 310 twin engine plane were certified flight instructors, one of them was seeking his twin engine certification.
Names and details were not immediately available.
The plane was based at the airport.
Provo police said there was a fire in the 5:30 p.m. crash and witnesses reported seeing black smoke coming from the site.
Several people witnessed the crash, and some of them were in the air.
Other pilots, flying in the general victinity of the Provo airport heard a distress call. Moments later several of them witnessed the plane plunging into the ground.
Those who were in the air and near the airport at the time of the crash say there was little indication of any problems with the twin engine cessna, until the last moment.
Brad Eldredge was flying with a student pilot when a call when out by the pilot of the other plane asking for a priority landing.
Seconds later Eldredge says they saw the plane headed out of control.
This is the first fatal accident at Advantage Aviation in its five year history.
The company has several planes it rents and provides flight instruction.
Those who worked with the victims say they were all very experienced in the cockpit, they loved to fly and call today's crash a very tragic accident.
(Copyright 2003 by The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved.)
