USU student dies after small plane crashes on solo flight


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HYRUM, Utah (AP) — Authorities say a small plane has crashed in northern Utah, killing a 21-year-old student pilot who was the only person aboard.

Officials do not know what caused the crash but the Cache County Sherriff's office says it occurred around noon.

Utah State University spokesman Tim Vitale identified the student as Frank M. De Leon Compres, a senior in the school's aviation technology program.

Vitale says De Leon Compres, who is from the Dominican Republic, was working on solo flight hours in the pilot program.

Vitale did not have details about where the student had taken off from or how many hours he'd had in the air. He says the plane crashed in a swampy field south of the city of Hyrum.

The Federal Aviation Administration and the National Transportation Safety Board are investigating.

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